Underground Construction - June 2021 - 36

DCA 60TH ANNIVERSARY
Distribution Contractors Association:
Leading Industry for 60 Years
Across the broad spectrum of the underground utility and pipeline
construction industry, there are many associations serving
various niches and needs. But none has been more influential and
significant to the marketplace than the Distribution Contractors
Association (DCA), officially chartered in 1961.
The significance and impact of the DCA membership spreads
to every sector of the gas market, at both a grass-roots level
and into literally every state in the U.S. The accomplishments of
the gas distribution industry could simply not have happened
without the efforts of the DCA.
The organization represents far more than just union and
business agreements for construction and maintenance contracts.
DCA continuously makes a concerted effort to improve the
industry it serves, from safety and damage prevention to
charitable causes. Above all, DCA is a group that has learned the
difficult lesson of putting aside personal gain for the greater good
of not only the association, but the entire industry, as well.
Through the years, DCA members have become family to
each other. Lifelong friendships and relationships built upon
trust and cooperation have truly made DCA the leading industry
that it is today.
Origins
The origins on the DCA can be traced far beyond the association's
first annual convention Feb. 5-7, 1962. Founders of the
association had been getting together informally for years
before the association was actually chartered, in August 1961.
The issues that the association was formed to deal with were
around long before 1962, as well. Natural gas distribution contractors
had no voice within the gas industry. In addition, these
contractors were not recognized by national labor unions and
had to renegotiate contracts with locals every time crews entered
a new jurisdictional area.
These issues were addressed in the two principal aims of the
DCA, adopted at the first organizational meeting on Aug. 14, 1961,
in Kansas City, Mo.:
* Improve working conditions for contractors specializing in
distribution construction.
* Keep the gas utility companies better informed on capabilities
of these contractors and how they may be better utilized.
Under the first point, the long-range plan of the association was
to negotiate national agreements with the four crafts, covering a
uniform set of working conditions. Two union officials addressed
the organization meeting, and charter members elected a labor
committee to lay the groundwork for future meetings with union
officials. The committee also initiated a survey of charter members
to determine labor problems that needed to be addressed.
Contractors felt that, under the second aim, they should concentrate
their efforts on convincing utilities that contracting out was
more economical than a company workforce. This was especially
true with the installation of house services, maintenance, and
routine main extensions. Consensus among charter members was
that increased work in these areas would result in a more even
workload through the year, resulting in more stable bid prices.
The first officers elected at that organizational meeting were
Emerson Clark, Engineering Construction Co., Tulsa, Okla., president;
W.C. Donaldson, Underground Constructors, Inc., Dodge
Center, Minn., first vice president; A.K. Everham, Midwestern
Contractors, Inc., Wheaton, Ill., second vice president; and Don W.
Miller, Don W. Miller, Inc., Green Springs, Ohio, treasurer.
Initial association directors included R.E. Reutzel, R.E. Reutzel
Construction Co.; B.M. Laulhere, Hood Construction Co.;
I.C. Russell, I.C. Russell Construction Co.; Robert Burkhardt,
36 JUNE 2021 | UCONonline.com
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Underground Construction - June 2021

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