Safety Champion of the Quarter: Superintendent, Rick Walkenhorst

Safety is at the root of all projects completed by Helmkamp Construction. No task is planned or performed without a review of related safety hazards and acting on necessary safety measures before the task is executed on. What makes this successful is the ownership that each person at Helmkamp takes in the importance of safety, upholding our safety culture and standards, and carrying out that example day-to-day.

For that, we would like to recognize our Safety Champion of the Quarter – Superintendent, Rick Walkenhorst. Rick is a superintendent who has worked at Helmkamp Construction for 7 years (since 2015) and is most likely to be seen on industrial projects.

Rick told us he has found that safety is a state of mind that does not always come naturally. “I conscientiously think through the process of doing a particular task, find things that could go wrong, and work on how to safely do each sub-task to get the project done. Helmkamp gives me the authority to stop work to do things the safest way even if it slows the project down. That is a responsibility that we all carry is also what keeps our safety record in good standing and in turn, gets us more work.”

Helmkamp Safety Director, Luke LaBeau, had this to say about Rick: “Rick works hard every day representing and communicating Helmkamp’ s value for safety, quality, and integrity. He shows up each morning with knowledge, energy, and passion, and is always prepared with a plan to get his team moving in the right direction. His commitment, dedication, and hard work becomes contagious on the job, and we are grateful to have Rick as a leader on our projects.”

We would like to congratulate and say THANK YOU to Rick for being a safety champion for Helmkamp. We appreciate you and are proud to have you representing Helmkamp daily on our jobsites!