J. J. Keller Announces Safety Winners, Shares Their Testimonies
BY AsphaltPro Staff
J. Keller shares winners’ safety stories and metrics amid 22nd year of the SPOTY awards
The team at J. J. Keller & Associates Inc., Neenah, Wisconsin, announced in September the recipients of the top three 2024 Safety Professional of the Year (SPOTY) award. The SPOTY Awards, now in their 22nd year, highlight individuals who achieve excellence by building a culture and vision for safety and ensuring employees return home each day to their families. The winning safety professionals were selected by a panel from J. J. Keller’s staff of 70+ safety consultants and editors.
Matthew Rehlander, senior director of EHS, fleet and risk management with National OnDemand Inc., is the 2024 J.J. Keller SPOTY Award winner.
First Place: Matthew Rehlander
National OnDemand, Inc., provides fiber construction and last mile services for the fiber, wireless, energy and technology sectors in the United States. The company has more than 1,600 employees. Rehlander leads a team of eight in EHS, fleet and risk management today. When he began with the company about in early 2023, he immediately began to build out the department and formalize EHS and risk management functions while instilling a safety culture that teaches people to be their own safety professional in keeping themselves and others safe.
“For the safety profession, it needs to be about meeting the workforce where they are,” Rehlander said. “Participate with them as the expert in solving their safety and risk concerns. Take their ideas and suggestions and formulate the resources to make those real. Change the culture from ‘I have to do safety’ to ‘I want to do safety.’”
“We are incredibly proud of Matthew Rehlander and the profound impact he has had on our organization in such a short time,” said Douglas Boteler, National OnDemand CEO. “His dedication to building a robust safety culture from the ground up, combined with his forward-thinking approach to risk management, has been transformative for National OnDemand. Matthew’s leadership ensures that our employees not only feel safe but are empowered to take ownership of safety in their daily work. His recognition as J. J. Keller’s Safety Professional of the Year is a testament to his commitment to excellence, and we are thrilled to see him honored with this prestigious award.”
Harry Crabtree, chief risk officer with Paladin Capital Inc., placed second for 2024.
Second Place: Harry Crabtree
Paladin Capital Inc. provides dedicated truckload direct store delivery of groceries and dry goods in the Eastern United States, with 1,000 shareholders. Crabtree has been with Paladin for 17 years and has a total of 45 years in the transportation industry. Today he leads nine full-time shareholders in risk management roles. Most recently, he has led the company in deploying event recorders, or dash cams, on all tractors within all eight department of transportation operating affiliates and in deploying a progressive disciplinary process around hand-held mobile devices. He has initiated many risk management best practices over the years, which are used in the industry today.
“Our organization is extremely pleased to see the many years that Harry has built a world-class safety culture around all the affiliate companies of Paladin Capital,” said Brian Hall, Paladin Capital CEO. “We live and breathe safety every day, and for him to be recognized by outside affiliates is very rewarding.”
Bart Miller, director of EH&S with Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery, placed third for 2024.
Third Place: Bart Miller
Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery serves over 250,000 residents and thousands of businesses throughout Contra Costa, Napa and Solano counties in California. Mt. Diablo Resource Recovery combines excellence in safety and customer service with competitive rates, operating recycling and recovery programs designed to increase sustainability and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Miller and his team have excelled in analyzing the risks associated with complex employee-machine interfaces and developing protections against those risks, and reinforcing defensive driving skills for the company’s drivers, who are always working amid the motoring public.
“We are currently coaching to driver behaviors and workspace ergonomics for multiple job tasks using video technology,” Miller said. When asked what his next focus in safety will be, he answered that it “will be working toward a robust, leading metrics-driven supervisor-employee connection program.”
For more information, visit www.jjkeller.com.