Bridget Bataglia
Safety Director, Sowles Co.
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About Bridget:
I was hired in 1997 to bring a local subcontracting company into the 2000s with my word processing and database knowledge. I streamlined the position, which created ample extra time. After 14 months, I wrote my own review and handed a copy to the Owner and CFO. One day later the Owner called me in his office, pulled out my review from his desk drawer and said, "In my 25 years of being President no one has ever done this. It's good, it's aggressive, I like it. Where do you want to go in my company?" That's how my career in Safety and HR began.
I have been working in the construction industry for 25 years. I have been fortunate to work for two successful family-owned companies: Twin City Tile and Marble (10 years) and Sowles Co. (15 years). I gained a wealth of experience in two very different aspects of the construction industry by first working with the tile setters and stone masons and then working with ironworkers and operators.
As a safety director in this inherently dangerous industry, I am grateful for the expertise and collaboration of our project management and our field foremen in solving some very unique challenges. I am continually impressed with the talent of our foremen, who use their ingenuity to solve complex problems and perform their work safely in ever-changing conditions.
When I explain to people what I do for a living, I always hear "You are very passionate about what you do." My approach to safety has always been that of talking with people, not to them. I believe this commitment has earned me respect. The relationships I have built, the crews I have worked with, and the prestigious projects I have been a part of are what I find truly rewarding.
I am encouraged by the momentum woman have gained in all levels of this industry. I remember following a safety lunch, our general foreman stood up and said to his crew "Time to go build America." That says it all; there is a legacy in what we build.