Utiliquest closes Ft. Worth Tx office

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 7th, 2011, 05:36 PM

http://blogs.star-telegram.com/dfwjo...53-people.html

3/7/2011

UtiliQuest closing Fort Worth office, releasing 153 people

UtiliQuest, an Atlanta firm hired by utility companies to mark the locations of underground facilities, is closing its Fort Worth office and releasing the 153 employees.

In a letter to Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act, UtiliQuest attributed the closure to "the loss of a major contract."

The Fort Worth office, at 14600 Trinity Blvd., will close on or after April 1, UtiliQuest said in the letter, released by the Texas Workforce Commission. The WARN Act requires employers to provide notice to certain government units or officials of a pending mass layoff or permanent closure.

UtiliQuest said the employees aren't represented by a union. The employees losing their jobs include 153 technicians, 14 supervisors, and 15 administrative support people.

Earlier in January, UtiliQuest told the Workforce Commission it was permanently releasing 30 of 95 employees at the company's Houston office due to the loss of a major contract effective Jan. 28. In that notice, UtiliQuest said its contract was awarded to another company in South Texas.

Read more: http://blogs.star-telegram.com/dfwjo...#ixzz1FxKLUMUH

**FiosKing** · March 7th, 2011, 06:09 PM

who got the FL contract they had? as long as its not USIC i would love to move to FL!

**TMO** · March 7th, 2011, 08:13 PM

Tough times for those in the middle...

**deevol** · March 7th, 2011, 09:57 PM

UtiliQuest SUCKS!!!!!! They are losing their ASS!!!!!

**ProfessionalLocator** · March 8th, 2011, 12:04 AM

Originally Posted by TMO

Tough times for those in the middle...

Yes, 153 locators out of work. Hopefully many of them will sign on with the new firm. But never do all the old locators get hired by the new firm.

**rockiesgirl** · March 8th, 2011, 05:40 AM

Does anyone know who got the contract? Maybe the locators will be better off. It seems UQ isn't as pleasant to work for as when I was there. Although it is always a kick in the butt to lose all your time in. Get to start all over with a new company.
Either way my thoughts and prayers go out to all the locators and their families.

**DavidDodd** · March 8th, 2011, 07:08 AM

CUS & Heath

**sprayandpray** · March 8th, 2011, 07:18 AM

Heath is hiring about 60 locators. Consolidated # unknown. Also, it was pretty much confirmed by USIC that we are getting the Verizon contract - 4 new Supervisor positions posted yesterday. We are supposed to take it over April 1. We have been interviewing UQ employees also. Any Locators that want to stay in the business will more than likely have jobs.

**FiosKing** · March 8th, 2011, 07:08 PM

how is USIC in FL? i know alot of people talk bad about them but maybe ill put in for one of those sup jobs

**mattm211** · March 9th, 2011, 01:50 PM

Hate to say it, cause I never want people to loose their jobs (me, my mother and dad have all been there in recent times). But..I saw this coming.

**deevol** · March 9th, 2011, 03:02 PM

I understand....I think that everyone who works, or knows anything about UtiliQuest knows whats coming!!! They SUCK!!!!! They will be out of the locating business within a year, two at most....They have nothing to offer anymore...and DUMBASS'S running it into the ground.....

**FiosKing** · March 9th, 2011, 06:46 PM

i was on a job today by myself and came up and there was at least 25 rookie utiliquest guys working this street (500ft markout) this markout took me 10 min with 2 utilities... as i watch these clowns "TRY" to do the job i see them hooked up EVERYWHERE to different utilities (probably using the same signal) and watch them get all confused why they cant find anything.... i probably should have gotten out to help them with the situation but i was enjoying it to much for about 20 min before i took off for my next job... utiliquest lost ALOT of Vet. good locators in the north and are replacing them with very crappy $10 people they find... I can also see them folding very soon... all the dumb rules they put in place

(this is in the north)

**FiosKing** · March 9th, 2011, 10:34 PM

[QUOTE=FiosKing;32783](probably using the same signal) meant different signals

**MasterLocator** · March 13th, 2011, 05:26 PM

Screw utilishit Dycom needs to phase them out and try to start over. Maybe they would not have such unhappy employees if everything was not micro managed. I mean really if your taking a shit for more then 5mins they call you. It just tells you management in the higher up have nothing else better to do but to think up shit to make there locators moral go down cause there tracked by not only gps but even key strokes on the comp. Give it a break you assholes. Don't you know all that shit you add just brings ticket percentage down. Get a ****ing life.

**sprayandpray** · March 13th, 2011, 06:12 PM

We, USIC, got the Verizon contract starting April 1. One problem - Verizon has informed USIC that any UQ employees ( about 12 at last count ) coming to USIC cannot do so until April 1st. So, instead being staffed up with the 30-40 additional locators we need by April 1 we are only going to have about 4-8 new employees to handle Verizon in about 12 cities here in North Texas. By the way, our groups are starting to receive 4-500 tickets per day. Our dig season has already started no matter that our Fearless Leaders say it doesn't start until April 1.