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2025 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award Winner: Joe Urnise
At Emery Sapp & Sons (ESS), we don’t just talk about safety — we live it. It’s how we protect our crews and make sure every employee-owner gets home safely at the end of the day. Each year, we recognize someone whose actions elevate that mindset into real impact: someone who not only follows safety standards but raises the bar for everyone around them.
The Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award was established in memory of Lance Trager, an employee-owner whose passion safety and protecting others left a lasting legacy. This award honors one individual whose daily actions reinforce that same unwavering dedication to keeping people safe on the job. It’s given to someone who doesn’t just follow the rules — they lead by example, look out for their crews, and never compromise when it comes to the safety standard.
Congratulations to Joe Urnise!
We’re proud to honor Joe Urnise, Technical Training Manager on the equipment crew, as the 2025 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award recipient. His focus on proactive safety has made a measurable difference. Whether it’s stepping up to prevent potential hazards, coaching others to stay aware and prepared, or consistently modeling safe behavior in every situation, Joe has repeatedly demonstrated that safety and performance go hand in hand.
This award isn’t about a single moment. It’s about consistency, courage, and accountability. It’s about the person others trust to speak up, slow things down, and do what’s right, even when it’s hard and Joe exemplifies this on the job every day.
“Joe consistently supports the Safety team by stepping in on incident investigations, helping us identify root causes and prevent future issues. His support has been a tremendous asset,” said Will Schauwecker, Associate Director, Health & Safety.
Peers and supervisors alike have noted Joe’s impact. That influence, day in and day out, is exactly what this award stands for.
Join us in celebrating Joe Urnise as the 2025 Lance Trager Memorial Safety Award recipient!