Page 10 - Tennessee811

Tennessee Gas Association Recognizes a
“True Advocate for Damage Prevention”
The Tennessee Gas Association (TGA) presented its highest honor, the Silver Flame Award, to William “Bill” Turner, President and CEO of Tennessee 811, during an awards reception at the association’s annual meeting in Orlando. The award recognizes outstanding service by association members to the state’s natural gas industry. Bill is the 32nd recipient of the award since its inception in 1990.
“Our primary goal in the gas industry is safety – the safety of the people, the public, and the infrastructure. That begins with notification. Third- party damage has a huge impact on safety, and we’ve got the biggest advocate for damage prevention that I have met through the industry
in Bill Turner,” said Bobby Garner, a TGA member who served as the chairman of Tennessee 811’s board until his recent retirement from Piedmont Natural Gas.
Bill celebrates his 33rd anniversary with Tennessee 811 in 2023. He has been an active member of TGA for most of his career, with a particular passion for the association’s scholarship foundation that provides financial assistance to the children of TGA members seeking higher education and residing in the State of Tennessee.
Through committee service, legislative support, and the daily work of operating the one-call system, Bill has demonstrated his dedication to and appreciation of the state’s natural gas systems for more than 20 years. Bill values natural gas operators as a keystone of damage prevention efforts across the state and counts natural gas system employees among his closest friends and colleagues.
“Not only has his work affected Tennessee’s gas systems, but it has also affected the families and children of those people who work every day to provide our customers with natural gas,” said Mark O’Neal, General Manager of Greater Dickson Gas Authority and past president of TGA.
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2023, Issue 3