Locating Inc

What Locating Inc does

Locating, Inc., founded in 1984 and operating as a subsidiary of Dycom Industries, Inc. (NYSE: DY), provides underground utility locating and facility damage prevention services to enterprise utility operators across the United States. The company serves operators of telephone, power, gas, cable TV, water, and sewer infrastructure under long-term contracts, executing millions of successful locates per year to support safe excavation operations. Service offerings include core facility damage prevention, specialized services (quality audit programs, facility documentation, standby services, storm relief, and Watch & Protect supervision for active excavation work), and branded programs RIGHTWAY (Quality Management System) and Headway (multi-step safety program). Pricing is contract-based with quotes restricted to utility companies.

The company's core technology is the Q Manager platform, an automated work order dispatch and ticket management system that supports over 150 ticket formats, maintains more than 100 million tickets in cloud-based data centers, and interfaces with all One-Call Center (811) systems nationwide. The platform is complemented by three add-on modules: eSketch (electronic locate manifest tool using ortho-photography and APWA color coding), PAR (Plant at Risk assessment that scores facility risk using work type, excavator damage history, utility operator records, and locator tenure), and EPR (Enhanced Positive Response, providing electronic documentation of locate activities to excavators). Q Manager is integrated with a broad ecosystem of third-party ticket management and field verification platforms including 4iQ Urbint, NTMS, PelicanCorp, Korterra, IRTH, Newtin, Geocall, Teldig, DigTrak, Certusview e-Sketch, Omnilume, and FieldCheck. The technology stack operates under Sarbanes-Oxley compliance with Juniper-routed redundant networking.

Locating operates a sales-led B2B go-to-market under long-term contracts directly with major utility operators, with no public pricing disclosure. The company's technicians are NULCA-accredited and the firm holds affiliations with the National Utility Locating Contractors Association (NULCA), Common Ground Alliance (CGA), and CGA Damage Prevention Institute. Headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia (with additional office presence in Denver and a privacy-governing jurisdiction of Florida reflecting Dycom corporate structure), the company originated in the Northwestern United States and has expanded to nationwide coverage. Career operations run through Dycom's SAP-based HR platform, and marketing channels include the corporate website, industry association presence, and Instagram.

Name

Locating Inc

Legal name

Locating, Inc.

Website

https://locatinginc.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Locating, Inc., founded in 1984 and a subsidiary of Dycom Industries (NYSE: DY), provides underground utility locating and facility damage prevention services to major utility operators under long-term contracts across the United States, supported by its proprietary Q Manager ticket management platform.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Utility Locating Services

NAICS

Geophysical Surveying and Mapping Services (54136), Site Preparation Contractors (23891)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900)

akta.pro primary industry

Underground Distribution Fault Location & Repair (UG Cables/Vaults) (EUAEAIAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sewer Line Locating & Depth Verification (HSAOABAK)

Keywords

• Underground utility locating
• Facility damage prevention
• Utility line marking
• Subsurface infrastructure services
• Excavation safety services

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Underground Utility Locating Services: The company provides underground facility locating and marking services for major utilities under long-term contracts. Services include facility damage prevention and specialized services such as quality audit programs, facility documentation, standby services, and storm relief. The company executes millions of successful locates per year.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Locating, Inc. identifies, locates, and marks underground utility facilities (telephone, power, gas, cable TV, water, and sewer) on behalf of major utility operators under long-term contracts. The company executes millions of successful locates per year to enable safe excavation and prevent damage to underground infrastructure, using proprietary software platforms and NULCA-accredited field technicians deployed across the United States.

Product overview

Locating Inc operates as a unified utility damage prevention service provider built around its core Underground Utility Locating service, supported by an integrated technology platform. The core locate service is enhanced by Q Manager, a proprietary ticket management platform that automates work order dispatch and integrates with over 150 third-party ticket formats and One-Call Center systems. The product portfolio includes complementary add-on modules: eSketch for electronic manifest documentation, PAR for facility risk assessment, and EPR for enhanced positive response documentation. These products work together as a workflow system where tickets flow from One-Call Centers through Q Manager, technicians perform locates using eSketch documentation, and risk scores are calculated via PAR for resource allocation. Beyond core locating, the company offers specialized services including Facility Record Documentation, the Headway Safety Program, and the RIGHTWAY Quality Management System.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• RIGHTWAY™: Quality Management System (QMS) ensuring excellence in operations with a structured approach and comprehensive training.
• Headway™

Products and services

• Underground Utility Locating Core locating service that identifies and marks underground utility facilities (telephone, power, gas, cable TV, water, sewer) before excavation to prevent damage. Performed for major utility operators under long-term contracts, with millions of successful locates executed per year using NULCA-accredited technicians and proprietary software.
• Facility Record Documentation Services Specialized service in which technicians help utility clients collect and update facility records in real-time digital formats, supporting damage prevention programs and reducing underground facility damages.
• Specialized Services Bundle Specialized offerings including quality audit programs, standby services, storm relief support, and Watch & Protect supervision for active excavation work, available to utility clients as needed.
• Q Manager Ticket Management Platform Proprietary automated work order dispatch and ticket management system that assembles, tracks, and coordinates One Call Notices supporting over 150 different ticket formats, integrates with all One-Call Center systems nationwide, and maintains cloud-based records of more than 100 million tickets.

Quantifiable outcome

• Millions of successful locates per year reducing underground plant damages

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration12 records

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• 811/One-Call Center SystemscoreTechnology or IntegrationLocating, Inc. interfaces with all One-Call Center systems nationwide. Q Manager system supports over 150+ different ticket formats and provides real-time positive response to One Call Centers.
• 4iQ Urbint, NTMS, PelicanCorp, Korterra, IRTH, Newtin, Geocall, Teldig, DigTrakcoreTechnology or IntegrationSeamless integration with multiple ticket management and utility infrastructure software systems including damage tracking and process modules.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• USIC (Utility Safety & Infrastructure): Largest utility locating services provider in North America, performing underground facility locating for utilities and municipalities. Direct head-to-head competitor to Locating Inc on the same RFPs and same contract structures with major utilities.
• Multiview Locates: Provider of private utility locating, ground-penetrating radar, and concrete scanning services for commercial, industrial, and utility clients. Comparable niche as a regional/mid-sized utility locator competing for similar private and municipal work.
• GPRS (Ground Penetrating Radar Systems): National provider of ground-penetrating radar, concrete scanning, and utility locating services to contractors, utilities, and facility owners. Competes with Locating Inc for utility locating and damage-prevention contracts, especially for private-side and construction clients.
• T2 Utility Engineers: Subsurface utility engineering and locating firm offering SUE, utility coordination, and designation services. Comparable because it bundles locating with engineering and serves similar utility and infrastructure customers.

Broad incumbents

• Primoris Services Corporation: Infrastructure construction and specialty services company serving utility, energy, and civil markets. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose utility services segment overlaps with Locating Inc's customer base and contract types.
• Quanta Services: Largest pure-play utility infrastructure services firm in North America, providing design, construction, and locating-adjacent services to electric, gas, and telecom utilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent and parent of locating-adjacent service providers.
• MYR Group: Specialty electrical construction services provider focused on transmission, distribution, and commercial/industrial electrical work. Comparable as a broad incumbent serving the same utility customers and competing for outsourced utility services contracts.
• MasTec: Large diversified infrastructure construction services company serving utilities, communications, and energy clients. Comparable as a broad incumbent whose subsidiaries (e.g., Wanzek, InfraSource) compete with Locating Inc and Dycom for outsourced utility services.

Others

• Common Ground Alliance (CGA): Industry association dedicated to preventing damage to underground infrastructure through the 811 system and best practices. Comparable because Locating Inc is a member and aligns its operations to CGA's Damage Prevention Institute standards, making CGA the key industry/shaping peer rather than a direct competitor.

Emerging players

• Badger Daylighting: Largest North American provider of hydrovac excavation services, frequently used to expose and verify utilities after locating. Comparable because Badger sits adjacent in the same damage-prevention workflow and increasingly bundles locating with daylighting.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/locating-inc

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Locating Inc