Page 8 - Tennessee 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 1

E Cliff Swoape
5!! Jason FVUE’
Damage Prevention Unison
Damage Prevention MVP iooneeeeeoii

he name Clifi swoape kepl the attention oi the entire venue. visit that worired with our very own Kalhy

popping up as l hrainstorrned it/win/.1np[pe.L‘mn to keep up with our Quartermaine to launch the program

who to ieature in our newly zozu meetings — its really something in the early 2000:. Clilf. Kathy. and

titled "Damage rrevention you need to see ior yourseli. Clilf says. others came up with a program
MVP" article. Clifi has just became "you gotta have tun and you have to that would work on a local level_ ior
the director oi human resources and make it relevant." And that's exactly hoth distrihution and transmis_si_on
communications tor Middle Tennessee what he does. l-leres an example: Clifi companies. Clilf says. “...Ihe original
Natural Gas Utility District (MTNG). holds up a piece of pipe where a water name was not PIPE though." He said,
counting his time as a parbtime contractor inserted a i Mi inch section it was Tennessee Network (or Safe
employee when he was in college, he Excavating and Emergency “Es:-onsei
has gm Wm, M1‘N(_‘,[m- 3, ygarsn ,. which was shortened to the acronym
Clifi has filled many roles in the - ' TN!tSEER- Cliff said. “We operated
organization, fmm meter painter Io under that cumhersome name for at
service technician to customer service‘ least 3 ye“ b“°“ “"“‘}‘i"g to "PE-"
and eventually getting into his passion MTNG currently spur-Sufi SM" 0‘
as the manager nf safety and Iraining. Ihese PIPE meetings. C]ifie3l§C| wenl on
a job he held (or 21 years. i call Clili‘ a to hrag ab-nut whm famashrl-=1> Kathy
"I’inneer ior Damage Prevention" and has done with the PIPE presentations
he received many awards and accolades. and how the program has evolved.
3“ ’,“"5 315“ .‘h‘‘''’d “my °°'“."““"’°‘ . Another damage preventinn innovation
‘“ h“ V’’‘‘" “‘ “"3 ““3’"*1 5” ‘"fi“‘"3” worth mentioning is MTNG's "Training
Mm‘ “"°“‘1Yt he "‘°”°d “'9 5'1"“ Town." Clifi describes it as a hands
Flam“. A.""’d ‘mm. ‘M T’’““‘’5‘°.° 5“ on learning iacility located at MTNG's
Assomt-on at ‘P-9" ar-""31 mm": .— A i V i corporate omce in Smit1wi11e.Cli!f
in Destin. Flmiida in zcug. The silver *,i;§ ;: ee 5 Al‘ men in nnnd en lneenine
Flam Award *5 “*9 h*%h“‘ h°"°' ""3 ' exayimples ior everything that i ever ielt
association awards. it retlects exemplary ee nneennen eeen eenned efwnen I wee e
S“??? 3“ F‘'’‘feE“*“°“ “’ ‘ehe f‘e““'_“e' ‘ ' service technician. it includes how to
gas In ustry m nsnnss_ss+=- E°_ D SE 51. s . properly set a melery do a lealr survey,
d°‘’’f‘ 3”‘ ‘""""'.“‘“’ C1‘F”°"}"‘ ‘*",“"" Dmm u/{I--rfinlgxsavunes locate lines, handle a high—pressure
and in the following paragraphs I win mart. Ni1lumIGiu n...w gee geek and Evgrwhing in mm,
highlight what inalres him so special to cm eneeeede, eevee eneen in eeneee in
damage prevention and a huge asset to or WC (with a valve) into a zinc}: PE ene neennel ee ennnee enn ene eneee
MT“’G- €35 ‘"39" “je‘““‘.e*‘.“ §e‘?“1,de "1‘.“‘ °“ 9"’ that he brciugglnl Iogelhrzr in designing
My lirst encountei- with Clifi was haclr n':nn‘e‘e:e e‘fe“n'e'fe Training Town. He went to looir at _
in 2012,‘ my hrst year as a damage nine venene ennn eneeneen wnene the other systems that already had one. hlse
prevention liaison (or TennesseeSn.l eneeneen een e Wooden eeeke enmnen Leair _city in Athens, Alaiiamae He sat
t‘lnn't recall which PIPE (Partners in n ennen nnee we eeene on wee e that his layout has several similarities
Pmlecling Everynne) meeting it was‘ eeneennenen inn end an eneeneen wee to theirs liec_ause he thought they_ had
lint i remember his iamous “show nnenne nn ennenen ennene] enn nen [nee a sound design. Also, he tallred with
and tell. l-lis examples of damages wnnnen eeeke nene ennenen nnn men washington Gas in washingign D.C.
wwid change Mr, ym To gjve 3 nene_., Ann nne n‘ my euennne eevnneee ahout their system and their iggest
liaclrdrop of why Clifi would have is when ne nelne n . in 1 n problem was what they wnuld name

.. ,, . . papipe a as . .
a show and tell, i will first explain been nnee eenene He elwnne en ne Ween then- roads. washingion cas_ named all
that -rennesseesn gives each or its nee feenene nneeee nconlrary in nennlnn their streets after the towns in which
mm: sponsors a chance to Ialk ahout nenef nnel enne nnee net fin evenynnnel they ‘had compressor seations to avoid
their system at the end DI the program Ce“ en beenne yen nee,‘ political turmoil, so clilt used names
presentation. Clilf lakes a difierent of mum-es that MTNG has offlcss m
approach than anyone else and his speairing of the PIPE program. Cliff hecause he thought washingtons idea
enthusiastic message always captures was a key pan oi the small group was loriliianteeliedvisited several otheer
sites an use in ustry contacts to earn
trom others experiences.

s . rennesseeoii 2020, issue 1