MISSION & HISTORY

Our mission…
The O.U.P.S. mission is to serve the customers' needs by providing a quality one call process to: protect the public; protect the underground infrastructure; protect the environment.

 

Our history…
The Ohio Utilities Protection Service (O.U.P.S.) was founded in 1972 as a nonprofit association of the Ohio Bell Telephone Company (now A T & T Ohio), East Ohio Gas (now Dominion East-Ohio) and the Cleveland Electric Illuminating Company. That first year, O.U.P.S. processed 13,678 digging requests.

 

Key dates in our history: 

• 1984 — O.U.P.S processes our one-millionth call.

• 1989 — Senate Bill 174 requires all Ohio utility companies to participate in a one-call service. O.U.P.S. subsequently merges with the United Utility Protection Service.

• 1990 — Senate Bill 264 requires all Ohio citizens to call before they dig.

• 1993 — O.U.P.S. adds an internal marketing department to increase awareness of our function and services. The department develops billboards, brochures, television commercials and public service announcements to broadcast our message.

• 1994 — Ernst & Young, LLP, rates O.U.P.S. "Best in Class" in its benchmark telecommunications study of one-call centers.

• 1996 — O.U.P.S. launches www.oups.org, making us the first one-call center in the nation with its own Web site.

• 1997 — Spearheaded by our marketing department, O.U.P.S. sponsors the first-annual "O.U.P.S. Safety Day" in Cincinnati. Also that year, O.U.P.S. processes our sixth-millionth call.

• 2000 — O.U.P.S. launches i-dig, a free, real-time online processing system that allows contractors and excavators to submit their digging requests online.

• 2002 — O.U.P.S. celebrates 30 years of one-call excellence.

• 2006 — O.U.P.S. develops a new logo and begins a re-branding process.

• 2007 — O.U.P.S. celebrates their 35^th anniversary.

• 2008 — O.U.P.S. implements Newtin, the latest call center software.

• 2009 — O.U.P.S. launches e-dig, the online ticket entry program for homeowners.

• 2009 — Virtual Private DIRT is launched, enabling excavators and facility owners to upload their damage information to the CGA 

Today, O.U.P.S. has over 1,000 member companies and receives nearly 1 million digging and excavation notices each year.