Page 3 - West Virginia 811

from the desk of
Jerry Poage
Hello again to all the West Virginia 811 readers of our magazine. This is just one of the ways we have to reach stakeholders across the state. As most of you may know, I accepted the role of Executive Director of West Virginia 811 the first of the year. And I continue to look for ways to meet you in a variety of ways, on the job site, in stakeholder meetings, at association meetings and hopefully through this magazine. It is, in part, to introduce myself to you but also to make sure I understand your needs so that we can work together to reduce damages while building lasting relationships.
I am pleased to announce that Brandon Hahn has joined the team here at 811 to help assist the West Virginia Damage Prevention Board (WVDPB). You’ll learn more about Brandon in the very near future, but he has hit the ground running.
The State Fair of West Virginia is scheduled for mid-August at the State Fairgrounds in Lewisburg and we are scheduled to be there again this year. Make plans to stop by our booth and introduce yourself to us. Also, we are happy to have Ohio 811 helping us this year by bringing their education trailer. Stop by and look this trailer over. It will be worth the trip, and you’ll be glad you took the time.
Also, I want to say that 811 is one of the best organizations that I have ever been a part of. Being new to my role it is nice to know that everyone is here to help and give information that will make our state better.
We recently held our annual WV 811 meeting, and it went very well for being my first one. I would like to thank Bill Turner, Tennessee 811, and Chris Stovall, Texas 811 for their presentations during the meeting and the pointers given for next year’s meeting. Their insight is invaluable.
Brandon and I will be doing a lot of paperwork to get everything filed and up to date plus training in the field with members. Starting at the end of September we will be taking a big part in the Paradigm meetings that will be going on in our state.
I look forward to meeting you soon. Dig safe!
Jerry Poage Executive Director West Virginia 811
2023, Issue 3
West Virginia 811 • 1