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Emery Sapp & Sons is top 3 in the nation for safety
When it comes to safety, talk is easy. Living it — every day, on every jobsite — is what sets Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS) apart.
We’re honored to be recognized as one of the top three safest companies in the nation in the Association of General Contractors (AGC) Construction Safety Excellence Awards. This prestigious award is more than a milestone — it’s a reflection of our employee-owners’ relentless dedication to protecting each other and our communities and building a culture where safety always comes first.
This year, 167 companies across the country applied. Out of those, just 67 were invited to present in the second round of evaluation. ESS was honored to be recognized in the Highway & Transportation Division, where we brought home a third-place finish.
With 2025 marking AGC of Missouri’s 100-year anniversary, we’re proud to be carrying our founding state’s name on the national stage.
A winning safety culture
Our motto, “Every Second Safely,” is a daily commitment from every employee-owner. As an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) organization, all our people have a stake in each other’s safety; safety is personal. The choices one person makes impact everyone, and our teams take that responsibility seriously.
Each of our employee-owners carries a safety coin, a small token that represents something much bigger. At the start of a shift, it goes into their pocket as a promise to work safely for their team, their family and themselves. At the end of the day, they take it out, knowing they made it through the day safely.
This coin reflects our shared investment. The company can provide all the training, equipment and resources necessary, but our employee-owners bring the accountability and discipline it takes to build a safety-first culture.
Safety first at every level
Our leadership team has made safety a foundational part of operations. We align safety and operations, ensuring responsibility across every level.
“Making safety a priority means it has to be carried personally by each one of us,” said Tim Paulson, co-CEO. “My expectation is that we can all say we gave all that we could to make the jobsite safe for the person working beside us while proudly shaping the future of our communities.”
This award is a milestone, but the real reward is knowing our employee-owners take safety seriously. That’s the standard they’ve set and the culture we’ve built. We’re honored by this recognition and proud of the employee-owners who made it possible.