Matt Apperson: 2024 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award

Let’s be real; construction sites are no walk in the park. Plenty of risks are involved when we’re literally building the foundation of our communities. Keeping our employee-owners and the public safe is always a top priority. 

Every year, we honor an individual who embodies our safety culture with the Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award. This isn’t just any award — it’s a tribute to employee-owner Lance Trager, who tragically lost his life in an on-the-job accident. Lance was the kind of superintendent who was a role model and looked out for everyone on the site. 

So, who takes home the 2024 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award? Congratulations to Matt Apperson, foreman, Columbia! 

Matt Apperson is a leader whose top priority is always safety. “Matt has been instrumental in getting his team to focus on small things to keep safety at the forefront of everything we do,” said Brian Burks, vice president. 

Whether it’s identifying and implementing improvements, making sure everyone understands the hazards they face, or just being the person who makes sure no one forgets their hard hats, Matt’s number-one goal is keeping his crew and the community safe. What really sets him apart is not how he follows the rules, but how he innovates safety solutions. 

“Matt took it upon himself to design and build a manhole platform to keep employee-owners safe as they enter or exit unbackfilled manholes,” said Zachary Baker, utility supervisor. “To my knowledge, he is the first and only employee-owner to take this sort of safety measure into his own hands, and it deserves recognition.”

It’s this commitment that makes him the perfect person to carry on Lance’s legacy. Join us in congratulating Matt Apperson, winner of the 2024 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award!