At Stansell Construction, we don't just talk about safety - we live it every day. This year, Stansell committed to pull back the curtain on the experts making safety happen on our jobsites each and every day.
The Stansell Safety Spotlight allows people to meet the experts behind our Quick Service Restaurant construction projects and discover their passion for keeping every project safe and every client satisfied. Through this monthly feature, you'll get a front-row seat to their strategies, stories, and commitment to protecting our teams.
This month's Stansell Safety Spotlight shines on Superintendent Adam Laber.
On any successful Quick Service Restaurant project, speed matters. Schedules are tight. Trade partners move quickly. Clients expect communication, quality and consistency. But for Stansell Construction Superintendent Adam Laber, one priority sits above every deadline, punch list and turnover date: safety.
"It's at the very top, number one," Adam says. "If people aren't safe and they get hurt on your job, you're definitely not going to turn over or have a great project. And we don't want anyone to get hurt. We want everyone to have a good day's work. You go home tired, dirty and safe, and feel good about what we've done that day."
That statement captures the way Adam sees the job. Safety is not a box to check or a rule to repeat. It is the foundation that allows everything else to happen: the schedule, the craftsmanship, the customer experience, the trust with trade partners and the pride that comes from completing a project the right way.
Adam is originally from Ohio and has worked in the QSR industry for a little over three years. Before that, he spent his career building. "I built buildings and houses," said Adam, who enjoys nature and doing anything outdoors when he's not building professionally. "I've been pretty much a carpenter my entire life. But I've also done every aspect of building a house. I've done the plumbing, the electrical, the roofing. You name it, I've done it."
That background matters on a QSR jobsite. A superintendent in this industry has to understand how every piece fits together and how quickly one missed detail can affect the next trade, the next inspection or the next milestone. Adam's hands-on construction experience gives him credibility with trade partners because he understands the work, the sequencing and the pressure that comes with the job.
But experience alone is not what defines his leadership. Adam's impact comes from how he combines knowledge with consistency. He knows the work, but he also knows that the way a superintendent communicates expectations can determine whether those expectations become part of the jobsite culture.
Adam's approach to safety begins before he says a word. He believes the superintendent has to look the part, follow the standard and demonstrate the behavior expected from everyone else. "I wear my vest, my boots, my hard hat, and I don't ask anyone to do anything that I wouldn't do," he says.
That simple statement is the center of his leadership style. Adam does not separate himself from the safety expectations he enforces. He stands under the same rules, wears the same PPE and sets the tone by making safety visible every day.
Project Manager James Tigue has seen that consistency firsthand. "Every day," James says of Adam wearing his PPE. "I've never pulled up to a project where Adam did stop wearing his hard hat, vest. You know, he's got all his PPE!"
Area Supervisor Glen Anderson sees the same standard in Adam's daily presence on site. "Adam keeps a clean and safe worksite overall," Glen says. "And he's always wearing his safety vest, hard hat and work boots. Adam definitely sets the tone for safety on his jobsites by the way he looks and how he treats the Trade Partners."
On Adam's jobsites, safety compliance is not treated as a confrontation. It is treated as a shared responsibility. He knows the standards, repeats the expectations and checks the jobsite daily, but he also understands that the way a superintendent approaches people often determines how well those standards are received.
"Most of the Trade Partners I work with comply with our safety standards," Adam says. "And I'd say the biggest thing is the scaffolding and making sure they keep the toeboards up. And that is the biggest challenge. And I attack it daily. I just stay on top of them. I check them."
That steady follow-up is paired with clear expectations from day one. "Every toolbox talk and beginning at every job, I'll let everybody know that they will wear proper PPE," Adam says. "It's not negotiable and it is not to make their lives harder, it's to make their lives safer."
James says that respect is a major reason Adam gets buy-in. "Adam doesn't just go up to the Trade Partner to talk about it, he goes to him very kindly," James says. "He says, 'Hey man, you gotta put your hard hat back on. It's our rules and we don't want you to get hurt.' So he does do it very respectful."
For Adam, that approach connects directly to Stansell's pillars, especially how people are treated. "If you treat people the way you want to be treated and you talk to them like they're human and you live your life for people, you get a lot farther," he says. "You get a lot more with honey than you do with vinegar."
Glen says Adam's willingness to listen, whether to his Trade Partners or his Area Supervisor, is one of his greatest strengths. "What I really appreciate about Adam is any constructive feedback I give to him, he listens and I only have to tell him one time," Glen says. "You never have to tell Adam twice - he's a good student and listener. He wants to do well. It's clearly important to him. That goes for safety and everything else on the Superintendent job."
In QSR construction, customer service happens in real time. It shows up in how quickly questions are answered, how well obstacles are communicated, how clean and organized the site looks, and whether the client feels confident that the superintendent is protecting both the project and the brand.
Adam sees that responsibility clearly. "Customer service is a top priority because without customers we have no company," he says. "It's how we earn more projects. Customer service is how we build our brand at Stansell."
That mindset extends beyond the client to every person who steps onto the site. Adam's focus on communication, cleanliness and organization helps create a jobsite that reflects professionalism. He keeps trash cans and bags available, posts reminders, asks trades to clean during the final 30 minutes of the day and works to keep materials organized in one location. The goal, he says, is that the site does not look like chaos; "it just looks nice."
James says clients notice. "Chick-fil-A loves him," James says. "We've been awarded work because of what Adam has done on previous projects." In an industry where repeat work is earned through trust, Adam's day-to-day habits become more than jobsite management. They become a reflection of Stansell's reliability.
Glen says that trust is not limited to one client or one job. "The clients are asking for Adam to run their jobs," Glen says. "He carries all four of Stansell's 4 Pillars. He cares about his future. He'll work anywhere and any time we need him. He's just a good person. I would trust Adam to run any job for Stansell."
Adam is quick to admit that even strong superintendents keep looking for ways to improve. For him, one area of continuous improvement is scheduling. "I am trying to get better at scheduling," he says. "I mean, I've come pretty far, but I still feel like I can get even better at scheduling."
In QSR work, scheduling is more than an operational task. It also affects safety. Too many trades working on top of each other can create congestion, confusion and unnecessary risk. Adam manages that by thinking through where each trade needs to be and separating work whenever possible. "I try to place trades where they've been working in different parts of the job sites and everybody won't be on top of each other," he says.
The three-week lookahead is one of the tools he relies on to keep that coordination visible. "It's very important because it gives us a daily reminder," Adam says. "It lets everybody be able to see where we're at, where we need to be, what's coming up." To Adam, the lookahead is not just a schedule document; it is a communication tool that aligns the team before conflicts become problems.
Glen has seen those habits translate into results. "His jobs always finish on time," Glen says. "He has minimal punch lists. He's really good as far as scheduling goes."
Adam's commitment to improvement is also visible in how he approaches training and mentorship. He ranks in the Top 5 in terms of number Stansell's Training and Enrichment Program (STeP) trainings completed with over 50 courses under his belt. This includes the Stansell Safe Certification, and he connects that learning directly to his daily responsibilities. "I deem the trainings important because I benefit from putting what the training teaches me into my daily practice," he says. "It helps keep my mind focused on what it means to be Stansell Strong!"
Glen says Adam's approach to training shows why that growth continues. "Adam takes those STeP trainings because he wants to be more, he wants to be better and he wants to learn all he can," Glen says. "Adam doesn't just take those trainings to take 'em, he takes them and applies what he learns to his craft."
Adam also credits Glen as a defining influence in his growth. "I would have to say that Glen Anderson is my biggest mentor, teacher, friend, and supporter I've ever had in my life," Adam says. "If it wasn't for him, I would not be where I am today."
What stands out most to Adam is Glen's ability to teach without tearing people down. "He stays calm and cool, and he's always trying to teach," Adam says. "He guides and never judges, he's always just trying to help us become better. If Glen learns something from one job site, he shares it with all of us so we all can benefit and learn together. I drive myself to be as good as Glen is one day."
That mentorship has also become something Adam passes along. "Not only has Adam learned and grown, but he's paid it forward," Glen says. "He has played a crucial role in helping to train [Superintendent] Erick [Aviles]."
In December 2024, Adam's Chick-fil-A project was named Stansell's Project of the Year at the company's annual Christmas party in Tampa. The award, presented by President Jim Kurtz, recognized a project team that included Area Supervisor Glen Anderson, Project Coordinator Yolanda Lovett, Project Manager Michael Lyle, Adam, and fellow Erick.
For Adam, the moment carried extra meaning because it came on his first project as the lead Superintendent. "I was so excited!" he says. "And really proud of my first project as the lead Superintendent earning this recognition. Winning that award with the project team made me want to work even harder to outdo myself on future projects."
Glen remembers that first opportunity as a turning point. "When Adam first started with Stansell, he was on a job as a third wheel," Glen recalled. "I don't think anyone was sure how it was going to work out with Adam, but I saw potential in him. Myself and others concluded that he needed a shot to be on his own running his own job. We gave him his shot, and do you know what he did with it? He killed it! He absolutely nailed it. And he's been doing better ever since."
The award reflects more than one successful turnover. It shows how Adam's habits compound over time: the preparation, the safety focus, the communication, the clean and organized jobsite, the respect for trade partners and the willingness to keep learning. For Adam, recognition did not create complacency. It created a new target.
Adam Laber's story is ultimately a story about consistency. He brings a carpenter's understanding of the work, a superintendent's command of the schedule and a leader's responsibility for the people around him. On QSR projects where speed, precision and coordination are always in motion, Adam keeps the most important priority steady: nobody gets hurt, the client is taken care of and the team leaves the jobsite better than it found it.
He leads by wearing the PPE himself. He earns compliance by treating people with respect. He supports customer service by keeping the project organized, communicating clearly and understanding that every interaction reflects the Stansell brand. He keeps learning through training, keeps improving through scheduling and keeps growing through mentorship.
Glen sees the same trajectory in Adam's future. "Anybody can be as good as I am," Glen said in response to Adam sharing that he hopes to be as good as Glen one day. "I'm a pretty humble guy and I've heard people say I have a lot of wisdom, but the truth is I have experience. Adam just needed a shot, and he got it and has made the most of it ever since. Now, he just needs to get more experience under his belt, which will come with time. Adam is capable of any advancement that becomes available."
And through it all, Adam stays grounded in the reason safety matters most. "I work safe for my kids, my mom, my fiance, and myself," he says. "They're all counting on me to come home." That personal commitment is what gives his leadership weight. It is not just policy. It is purpose.
For Stansell Construction, that kind of purpose is what turns a good project into a stronger culture. Adam's example shows that safety, service, training and leadership are not separate responsibilities. They are connected parts of the same promise: build the right way, take care of people and keep raising the standard on every job.
