The Common Ground Alliance (CGA), the nation’s nonprofit focused on underground utility damage prevention, successfully wrapped up its 2025 Conference & Expo at the Orlando World Center Marriott, held from April 7-10.
The event welcomed 1,600 industry professionals, marking it as the largest damage prevention gathering in the US, and this year celebrated CGA’s 25th anniversary. This milestone also marked a return to Orlando, which previously hosted the conference in 2023.
The conference brought together top decision-makers from 16 industries, including utilities, pipeline operators, construction firms, equipment manufacturers, 811 call centers, and tech innovators like Verizon, Honeywell, Rust-Oleum, 3M, and Sunshine 811. The event took place during National Safe Digging Month, adding extra significance to its mission.
Across the US, underground utilities are struck by digging more than 190,000 times annually, racking up an estimated $30 billion in damages. Florida leads the nation, with nearly 26,000 incidents each year—an average of 71 per day—highlighting the state’s vulnerability.
Utility strikes can trigger severe consequences like road collapses, water line breaks, outages, and even fatalities. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently issued a report on a fatal Pennsylvania factory explosion linked to poorly located gas and steam lines, urging nationwide use of CGA’s recommended best practices.
“As we celebrate this milestone of 25 years of damage prevention insights, our Conference & Expo this year reflected on the past by looking towards the future of solutions, innovations, and partnerships to reduce the buried utility damages that risk lives, property, and disruption to communities and businesses,” said Sarah K. Magruder Lyle, President and Chief Executive Officer of the CGA.
State leaders participated virtually, including Florida lawmakers and representatives like Joshua Bowes, who explored veteran hiring initiatives with companies such as Badger and UtiliQuest.
The conference also spotlighted legislative discussions, including the Promoting Innovation in Pipeline Efficiency and Safety (PIPES) Act, which is receiving bipartisan support in Congress.
More than 50 educational sessions were offered, alongside a massive 100,000-square-foot expo hall showcasing the latest in utility safety tech.
CGA honored industry leaders through various awards, including the President’s Award to Kinder Morgan’s James Holland and the Hall of Fame inductions of Sandra Holmes and Scott Brown.
Next year’s CGA Conference & Expo is scheduled for April 27-30, 2026, at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
For more information visit, www.commongroundalliance.com.