Common Ground Alliance (CGA) announced it has partnered for the fifth consecutive year with 3M and Greg Biffle, driver of the 3M #16 Ford Fusion in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, to promote the national 811 ‘Call Before You Dig’ phone number on the #16 car this Saturday at Richmond. CGA is the national association dedicated to protecting underground utilities and the people who dig near them, and 3M is one of the 1,500 members. Biffle will promote 811 in five locations – on the hood, deck lid, TV panel and both rear quarter panels – of his #16 3M Ford Fusion at Richmond for the final ‘pre-Chase’ race of the year. CGA and 3M selected the Richmond race due to its position on the calendar, which falls at a time of year when home and property improvement projects are popular across the United States. An underground utility line is damaged by digging once every six minutes due to someone digging without first making a call to 811, according to CGA data. Additionally, Richmond will serve as the ideal venue to launch the ‘Breakfast with Biff’ sweepstakes, which gives fans the chance to enter to win a VIP trip for two for a post-season visit with the #16 3M team near Charlotte, N.C. More info on the Racing Contest page. When homeowners and professional excavators call 811 they are connected to a local one call notification center that will take their information and communicate it to the appropriate local utility companies. Professional utility locators will then visit the dig site to mark the approximate location of all underground utility lines with flags or paint.(CGA) (9-6-2014)
