December 19, 2025

By Lane Kimble

WISCONSIN DELLS — It had every appearance of a traditional industry conference.

A large ballroom with a stage, podium, and projector up front; coffee and water stations to the back.

But there was something different about the seating arrangements.

Friends and coworkers who would typically congregate together found themselves scattered across the room, sitting next to strangers, competitors, and perhaps even people they’ve had strong disagreements with.

That was by design.

“Let’s get out of our cubes and work together. This is like a jumpstart. It’s the basis of problem solving,” WisDOT Bureau of Technical Services Chief Norman Pawelczyk told the crowd.

Indeed, the first-ever Utility Coordination Workshop held Tuesday in Wisconsin Dells was all about trying something new to improve on a longstanding construction challenge: utility marking, design, and relocation.

WTBA, WisDOT, ACEC of Wisconsin, and utility groups worked together for months to plan a conference where ideas aren’t just presented, they’re actively discussed, debated, and shared.

“We all share the common goals of moving our projects forward with safety, with efficiency, with innovation and that’s really what we’re here about,” DTSD Administrator Rebecca Burkel said. “We have a lot of technical experts in the room today and we need all of us to help advance these shared goals.”

About 150 people from dozens of different companies and backgrounds attended. Organizers also highlighted various platforms where people can get involved, such as the Damage Prevention Council, and WTBA’s successful efforts to pass a law that offers contractors compensation for delays caused by utility conflicts.

Seating assignments may have been the most daunting part of planning the conference, ensuring each table had people with different perspectives and viewpoints.

That led to concrete paving managers sitting next to folks from AT&T, earthmovers picking the brains of WE Energies reps, and consultants swapping stories with municipal public works employees.

“It’s been an interesting group,” Eric Bertram, Edgerton Contractors’ GM of underground utilities, told WTBA of his table. “You walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, you kind of understand where they’re coming from.”

The agenda presented four topics (leveraging what works and doesn’t with locating, effective communication with design and bidding, 3D utility data benefits, and how to ensure relocation happens accurately and on time) and allowed time for tabletop discussions on each.

After 25-30 minutes of conversation and debate, groups would share what they learned with the entire room.

Bertram admitted it’s not always easy to get out of your comfort zone–or “cube”, as it were. But he found the all-day workshop worthwhile, hoping it lays the foundation for better projects and fewer conflicts in the field.

“Any time we have an opportunity to try and be part of a solution and not just complain about the problem, I think it’s important,” Bertram said. “You have to try to step up and find where there is some common ground. I know the hardest thing to change sometimes is the status quo.”