Page 8 - Mississippi 811 Magazine 2020 Issue 3

811 CHAMPION Creative Solutions, LLC
Mississippi 811 is committed to promoting a higher level of public safety. Every day, the team at MS811 is working to reduce underground utility damages, minimize utility service interruption, reduce on-the-job injuries (and worse), and protect the environment. Now and then, a company comes alongside MS811 by helping to spread the 811 message, going above and beyond, and thereby becoming an “811 Champion”.
MS811 is proud to recognize Creative Solutions, LLC as one of these companies. Creative Solutions, LLC manufactures and distributes various consumer products sold at major retailers throughout the United States. Creative Solutions has 20 employees and their facility is located in Purvis, MS (about ten miles outside of Hattiesburg, MS). Founded in 2007, the company is led by Co-Founder and President, Bart Majors and Director of Operations, Lath Hairston, who together bring over 50 years of experience in the design, manufacturing, and distribution of products associated with the hardware and home improvement retail industry. In addition to
his responsibilities as President, Bart handles all of the sales, marketing, and product development side of things while Lath handles all production and focuses more on the logistical side of things.
It is with Creative Solutions’ Postal Pro Mailboxes that the
company is helping to spread the “Call Before You Dig” message. “Postal Pro Mailboxes are our primary product line, but we also manufacture Home Address products, Gate Hardware items and Children’s Modular Furniture,” explains Bart. “We first began including the ‘Call Before You Dig’ information in 2013 when we started manufacturing and selling curbside mailbox posts. Virtually all mailbox posts on the market suggest digging an 18” - 24” hole
in the ground for installation. Obviously, that is deep enough to potentially cause damage to underground utility lines. Therefore, the instruction sheets for each of our mailbox posts include a warning to the customer that states the following: “Call before you dig” – Call 811. 811 is the designated “call before you dig” phone number that directly connects you to your local call center. Each state has different rules and regulations governing digging to ensure that buried utility lines will not be disturbed.”
The decision to include the instructions came following a discussion that Bart and Lath were having related to mailboxes and products like this that required pre-digging a hole at a home and therefore could lead to issues involving underground utilities. Upon this reflection and recognition of the risk, Lath put together the instruction sheets so that they would include the 811 notice. Postal Pro Mailboxes by Creative Solutions, LLC are sold nationwide. “We are extremely proud of the fact that every product we manufacture and distribute is MADE IN USA. Our Postal Pro line of mailbox products are stocked in every Home Depot, Lowes and Menards store throughout the United States (total of 4,600 retail stores).
We sell over 500,000 mailbox products annually,” says Bart. The company even prominently features a “Made in the USA” seal on each of their retail packages.
MS 811 thanks Creative Solutions, LLC for helping in the efforts to prevent damage and promote safety in digging and congratulates Bart, Lath, and the whole Creative Solutions team for being real 811 Champions!
See more about these Mississippi manufactured Postal Pro Mailboxes by Creative Solutions, LLC at postalpromailboxes.com
6 • Mississippi 811
2020, Issue 3