💯 Celebrating a CENTURY of valuing people and building dreams! 🎊

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Celebrating 100 Years

Celebrating a CENTURY of valuing people and building dreams!

This once-in-a-lifetime milestone is made possible by the commitment of our employee-owners and through relationships built over time with our clients and partners.

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Safety is our top priority on every project. We want our team members and every tradesperson on site to be protected from harm at all times.

Herb Dawson
Project Executive

“WE own it” is my favorite WEO value! It speaks to me because we are all in it together. We all have to own our responsibilities to make sure everyone is successful. For me, this is particularly important re: safety: we are all accountable in making sure our team—our family—goes home every night.

Stephanie Cotey
Senior Director of Project Services

Conscious and consistent safety efforts on our projects means knowing that everyone who showed up for work that day will safely be going home to the ones they love and the things they enjoy doing.

Kevin Mraz
Senior Director of Special Projects

You work alongside people who care about maintaining the “family” culture—not just within O’Neil but also within our project teams, including subcontractors, owners, vendors, etc. Our people care about the future of the company and support each other to deliver a successful project.

Janet Perez
Project Manager

WE are champions of safety

Compliance with regulations is just a baseline, and great safety performance is never luck. It takes teamwork, discipline, focus, and coordination. We are committed to building a zero-injury mindset in our culture and on each of our jobsites.

Our Approach

Team

Every project works with the WEO safety department to develop a project-specific safety program, from preconstruction through construction.

Training

Safety certifications are required for all tradesmen in specialized areas such as scaffold training, fall protection, excavations, burning, and welding.

Readiness

We provide continuous training on a variety of topics. All employees are certified in OSHA 30 and receive CPR/AED & First Aid training.

Attention

Our employees engage in a variety of safety meetings on both a corporate and jobsite level to discuss safety trends, regulation changes, and process improvements.

Prevention

Preplanning is key to preventing injuries and accidents. In addition, we utilize a computer software-based inspection system to identify hazardous trends and develop corrective actions before issues occur.

Recognition

Safety awards are distributed to individuals and teams who have demonstrated excellence in safety on the job. As an example, our Chicago program includes a Safe Site Award, Safe Sub Award, and Outstanding Tradespeople Award.

Our Leadership Prioritizes Safety

Together we can move the construction industry towards a zero-injury mindset. Safety is not just a priority, it’s a culture. Let’s work together to build a stronger safety culture on all jobsites, where constant vigilance can resolve problems before they lead to injuries.

John Finn
Chief Executive Officer

Safety means being aware of our surroundings no matter what environment we’re in so we can catch potential problems before they become injuries. Constant vigilance is necessary to have and cultivate a safe culture in the workplace—and at home, where safety is second nature for everyone.

Mike Kalinowski
Regional Director of Safety (CHI, TN, TX)

All W.E. O’Neil offices are committed to teach, encourage, and enforce the highest standard of safety on each one of our jobsites. Together we can help make a difference in moving the construction industry towards a zero-injury mindset.

Brian Ramsay
Chairman of the Board

2025

STEP (Safety Training and Evaluation Process) Diamond Award

Safety Award | Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) Greater Tennessee
2024

National AGC Safety Award

Construction Safety Excellence, for our Austin office

Safety Award | Associated General Contractors (AGC)
More about our Safety Culture
2022

Best in Class Safety Award

Category: 250,001-500,000 hours worked

Safety Award | Chicagoland AGC
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2021

Safety Gold Award

UCR Pierce Hall Renovation

Project Award | Willis Towers Watson
VIEW PROJECT
2021

Safety Improvement Award

Safety Award | Chicagoland AGC
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2020

Safety Improvement Award

Chicago Office

Safety Award | Associated General Contractors (AGC)
All Awards & Recognition
All News & Insights

We Are Champions of Safety

Herb Dawson
Project Executive
Stephanie Cotey
Senior Director of Project Services
Kevin Mraz
Senior Director of Special Projects
Janet Perez
Project Manager