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JULIE, INC. MARKS 30 YEARS IN PUBLIC SAFETY |
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| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2004 |
CONTACT: Kevin T. Chmura |
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JOLIET ILLINOIS – Representatives of the Joint Utility Locating Information for Excavators (JULIE, Inc.) announced that the organization is celebrating its 30th Anniversary this year. With over 1,750 members, JULIE, Inc. stresses the importance of calling the one-call system before starting any digging projects and promotes safe digging practices in Illinois. “As one of the largest member-driven, not-for-profit organizations in Illinois, we are proud to promote an easier, safer digging environment,” said Kevin Chmura, director of public relations at JULIE, Inc. “Working closely with our members, statewide associations and organizations and the excavation community, our mission is to prevent damages to underground utilities, the environment and property, reduce service interruptions and costly repairs, and save lives.” Commitment to Public Safety JULIE, Inc., also known as the Illinois One-Call System, is proactively involved in a variety of public and member education and safety programs aimed at increasing the use of the one-call system and reducing accidents through increased awareness of the excavation dangers. Illinois law requires anyone digging, regardless of depth, to call JULIE, Inc. (1-800-892-0123) at least two working days prior to the start of excavation and to begin that project within 14 calendar days from the call. Call center operators are available to receive and process calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. “To mark our anniversary this year, a new corporate logo was created to reflect the proactive message of the organization—Call JULIE Before You Dig,” Frost continued. The Illinois One-Call System has 100 employees during peak periods and provides excavators with a toll-free number (1-800-892-0123) for the free locating and marking of underground facilities. JULIE, Inc. serves as a notification service for underground facility owners, taking information about planned excavations and distributing this information to its membership. It is then the responsibility of each facility owner to mark the location of their underground facilities at the excavation site. JULIE, Inc. neither owns nor marks any underground facilities. With over 14.5 million calls received and processed since its inception and an annual call volume over 1.1 million, JULIE, Inc. is one of the largest industry one-call systems in the United States. Because one call to JULIE, Inc. results in communication with multiple member utility companies and municipalities, calls over this 30-year period have resulted in over 88 million notification messages being transmitted to members. Member utilities fully support JULIE, Inc. based upon their message volume. History of JULIE, Inc. In August 1974, JULIE, Inc. was founded by the owners and operators of underground facilities in Illinois as a means of preventing injuries and reducing damages to those facilities. JULIE, Inc. began operations in Will County and expanded its coverage in December 1980 to include all of Illinois, with the exception of the city of Chicago. In 1976, the organization was accepted by the Illinois Commerce Commission as compliance with the one-call notification section of General Order 185. Originally located in the Illinois Bell Telephone facility on Webster Street in Joliet, Illinois, the corporation moved to leased space at 3033 West Jefferson in the early 1980s. Then in 1992, JULIE, Inc. became a pioneer on Essington Street with a state-of-the-art one-call center that has served as a model facility for similar organizations across the nation. For more information, please visit www.illinois1call.com. |
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