Our mission at Infrastructure Resources (IR) is “Saving Lives through Education™”, which is reflected in everything we do, including dp-PRO magazine. The magazine launched in 2010 as Damage Prevention Professional magazine. That title was very descriptive of our readers, but it was a mouthful to say, so in 2019 we rebranded to today’s name, dp-PRO. There are hundreds of thousands of professionals across the world who have jobs involving damage prevention, but only a small portion of them actually view themselves as damage prevention professionals. This means the name dp-PRO doesn’t click with the majority.
THE PRIMARY MISSION IS TO PROTECT CONTRACTORS AND THE PUBLIC FROM BEING HURT WHILE DIGGING.
One problem with the label “damage prevention” is that to some people it sounds like the focus is on protecting pipelines and cables. Those of us who are active in the damage prevention industry realize that while protecting pipelines and cables is important, the primary mission is to protect contractors and the public from being hurt while digging. This is why since starting our conference in 2006, the name has included “Excavation Safety” and our 80-plus sessions have the same focus. Our annual Excavation Safety Guide, which started in 2005 (over 10,000,000 in print), also covers this vital content.
At IR, we are continually trying to find ways to make our education available to the silent majority who do not realize they are involved in damage prevention. Karin Strub, VP of Communications at IR, was recently attending a conference with attendees outside the normal group of people who consider themselves to be involved in damage prevention. After having to explain what dp-PRO was over and over, it was clear the name was not helping us draw in new readers and champions to help save lives through education. When she brought this up to the team, it seemed obvious.
With our Conference named the Global Excavation Safety Conference, our annual guide named the Excavation Safety Guide, and our education platform named the Excavation Safety Alliance, it seemed painfully obvious our magazine should become the Excavation Safety Magazine. The content already supports that, so nothing needs to change except the name. So, beginning in 2023, dp-PRO will be renamed Excavation Safety Magazine.
Same focused content, same multi-media print and online format, same mission of “Saving Lives through Education”, but a new name that we hope will resonate with even more damage prevention professionals across the world.
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