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PelicanCorp : Free Trip to Australia WInner

Announcement posted by PelicanCorp - Automated Asset Protection 03 Apr 2013

Trip to Australia? Couldn't give it away

If someone offered you a free trip to Australia would you give it away? Probably not, but that's what the winner of PelicanCorp's prize draw at this year's Common Ground Alliance's (CGA) annual conference and expo tried to do, without success!

For the second year running PelicanCorp offered delegates to the conference the chance to go in a draw to win a trip to Australia for two with five nights accommodation, worth a total of $5000. When the trip was first offered last year, it was the most significant prize ever handed out at a CGA conference. PelicanCorp's marketing coordinator, Yulia Budyanskaya explained: "We wanted our brand remembered, especially since we were the only Australian company there."

The winner this year was Allison Strouse a Liaison Representative at Pennsylvania (PA) One Call System, a non-profit organisation that operates a dial-before-you-dig service to provide information on underground facilities in Pennsylvania. It's been going since 1972 and handles close to three quarters of a million calls every year. Allison's role is to conduct educational programs, attend community coordinating meetings, complete member contacts and act as a resource for both facility owners and excavators.

Allison, a relative newbie at PA One Call, told WhaTech she had entered the draw "because my co-worker Steve has been talking about how much he wants to win this trip since I started here." She said she had planned to give him the trip, if she won, "because he has been so kind and patient in training me over the past year."

However when Allison did win, Steve refused to accept the trip. "I am thrilled to get the opportunity to visit Australia. Now I will have to think of another gesture to thank Steve for his kindness," Allison said.

She'll be coming to Australia with husband Pete. "I have never been to Australia. I am extremely excited to come 'Down Under' and I cannot wait to see how people live on the other side of the world," she said. "I am hoping to have a lot of experiences that I would not have had if I had not won this trip!"

For Allison, winning the trip at the CGA conference was an unexpected bonus to a very worthwhile few days, and not the only surprise. "I was amazed to see that an international company such as PelicanCorp was exhibiting at the CGA conference," she said.

"Before the CGA, I had not thought a lot about international damage prevention. I do think it is important to share ideas, best practices and advancements in technology, which can help prevent accidents from occurring."

She told WhaTech: "I thought the conference was excellent. I was so impressed with the quantity and quality of the educational sessions which were provided. I learned a lot of techniques that I can pass on to both my facility owners and excavators that will help them not only prevent damages but also help protect themselves if damages occur.

"I also attended some excellent sessions which will influence the way I partner with my facility owners for different projects. I loved the vendors' exhibits. It is amazing to see how technology is rapidly changing the way we can increase accuracy and communication in damage prevention. The CGA conference really gave me an opportunity to expand my view of the damage prevention industry. It was interesting to learn about the differences from state to state and country to county."

Allison was rather stunned by the draw, and couldn’t raise her husband Pete. She asked Duane Rodgers, CEO of PelicanCorp to ring Pete and break the news. “I left a voicemail message on Pete’s phone, telling him who I was” said Duane Rodgers, “and that he and Allison had won the trip”. Pete apparently rang Allison back thinking it was a practical joke. Long time (1972) founder of Pennsylvania OneCall, Mr Bill Kiger talked to Duane about Allison winning the trip, and he was delighted with the outcome. “She is new to our organisation, and it couldn’t have gone to a nicer person” said Bill.

About PelicanCorp

PelicanCorp's technology and service suite has been designed and built around the network and asset design and construction processes. Civil contractors operating in the 'before you dig' sector, use PelicanCorp's services to locate and protect the essential infrastructure of public and private sector organisations including those providing telecommunications, power, water and other services. PelicanCorp operates in Australia, New Zealand, UK and Europe and Singapore. It was established in 2000 and is headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. For further information please visitpelicancorp.com

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