What Everybody Ought To Know...

As some of you might already know, my name is Oscar Ortega. Some people call me Oscar Ortega or Oscar. This is my very first time writing a blog so work with me. I will start this off by telling you something about myself. I have been working for Texas811 for about 8 years now. I started working here through a staff agency sometime around 2003. Before joining Texas811 as a part time employee, I worked at all kinds of jobs. I went from being a busboy to waiter, construction worker to working the cash register at a grocery store. I am 27 years old and on my days off I like spending time with family and friends. I have a 4 year old daughter named Arley. I also enjoy reading and a good workout at the Texas811 fitness center from time to time.

When I started working for Texas811 (Digtess), it never went through my mind how much this company would grow. I had been in different departments before becoming a team leader. I can't believe how fortunate I've been to be able to work with such amazing people. It's a great feeling to be able to say that my co-workers are not just people I work with, but are actually my friends. Its not common these days to find a good job, let alone a great company that actually cares for its employees and their close ones; hence the free onsite wellness clinic. Texas811 has proven to me that there is absolutely no limit to how much a company can expand. So what exactly is in store for Texas811 in the future? I don't know. Do I plan to stick around and find out? YOU BETCHA!!

-Oscar Ortega

An Old Dog learning new tricks, every day

I’m David Wofford, Director of Damage Prevention with Texas811. I’ve been meaning to write this blog since the Texas811 blog got started and finally had to set myself a deadline to get it done.

To give you a little background, I’ve been married for the past 35 years to the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known. We’re blessed with two wonderful grown kids, who I generally talk way too much about, and a stunning daughter-in-law who is poised to present us with our first grandchild at the end of May. Mindy and I grew up in Fort Worth and raised our family there. We moved to Granbury in 1997 with the intent of putting down roots for a leisurely retirement. Life is full of surprises.

I retired from AT&T in 1999 after a 30 year career that started as a 19 year old lineman and ended with a three year stint on the North Texas Area Staff, where my partner Jeff Byers and I handled Damage Prevention.  I was fortunate to also spend those last three years representing AT&T on what was then the TESS Board of Directors. Those were exciting times at TESS, now Texas811, that saw the One-Call Legislation go into effect, and the leadership of Texas811 make the determination to go from a vendor run notification center to a standalone center. I never forgot the pleasure of working with a group of people, all pulling in the same direction and focusing on Damage Prevention.

Following my retirement from AT&T I found out that I wasn’t particularly suited for a golfing career and ended up teaching Outside Plant Engineering classes for AT&T on a consulting basis. MIndy and I traveled around Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri where we spent one week or three weeks, depending on the class, meeting new people and sharing 14 years of engineering experience with new engineers. It was an enjoyable three years, but when the economy slowed down so did the teaching gig.

In January of 2002, as I was contemplating my next career move, I received a call from my old friend Lee Marrs. Lee told me that Texas811 wanted to start a focus on Marketing and asked if I would consider handling that on a part time, consulting basis. As they say, the rest is history.

From 2002 to 2008 my primary area of responsibility was Marketing, but if you work for Texas811 your focus is always on Damage Prevention. In January of 2009 I gave up my part time, which was never really very part time, status and became a Texas811 employee handling Damage Prevention and Marketing. What a ride it’s been.

In January of 2002, when Lee called me, Texas811 had around 600 members. We currently have almost 1300. Where we had one employee handling Damage Prevention in 2002, I now have five, fine managers, working with me handling Damage Prevention and Membership Coordination. The Notification Center itself is probably five times the size it was in 2002 and ten times the size it was when I first stepped in the door of Texas811 back in 1997.

It’s been a remarkable challenge and tremendously rewarding experience to be part of such a robust and thriving enterprise as Texas811. The talent and energy level there has already outgrown the borders of the great State of Texas, and who knows where it will take us next? But as I look around at the extraordinarily bright faces that make up Texas811, there’s one thing I know for certain.

“You ain’t seen nothing yet!”