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 Dustin Anderson.
Superintendent Dustin Anderson did not arrive at Stansell Construction looking for a shortcut. He arrived looking for an opportunity - and once he got it, he made it clear he intended to turn that opportunity into a career.
"My father Glen was there and I was doing demo for a demo company while he was working here," Dustin said. "[Stansell owner] John Stege saw me demoing and asked who I was, and I said I was Glen's son, and he said, 'How would you like a real job?' And I said, 'Yeah, of course.' And he said, 'You thought about it too fast. I want to know if you're ready to do a job for the rest of your life.' And I told him, 'Yes!'"
That moment helped launch a construction journey that began with Stansell's sister company, JTS, and grew into a superintendent role at Stansell. But Dustin's story is not simply about getting a chance. It is about what he did with it.
"The far bigger part of his story is how Dustin worked hard to earn an opportunity, and when he got it, he worked his butt off to make the most of it, prove himself and earn advancement," said Area Supervisor Glen Anderson, Dustin's father.
Dustin grew up around construction in Pinellas County, Florida, spending time with Glen on jobs and learning early that building required more than tools. It required vision. Glen remembers Dustin as a kid who always wanted to build, sitting in the back of his work van with small pieces of wood and a screw gun. The lesson that stuck was simple: "If you can't see it, you can't build it."
At Stansell, Dustin started where many builders start - learning, asking questions, taking on work that felt bigger than he was ready for, and proving he could grow into it.
"It challenged me as a professional because they always trusted me," Dustin said. "There were even times when I thought the stuff was way over my head. There were times where I thought I couldn't do something, but they still made me do it and I did it, and I was better for having done it."
After roughly nine years with JTS, including several years as a lead foreman, Dustin left for another construction company working on Target projects. That company did not know Glen, Stansell, or Dustin's family story. It knew only the impression Dustin gave during the interviews and the work he could perform.
"They didn't know who the hell Stansell was," Dustin said. "They put me on a plane from Florida to fly me to them because I answered the questions right. And then they quickly made me a supervisor, so it kind of helped with my confidence knowing that I'm not just Glen's kid. I'm Dustin Anderson! I'm my own person."
When Dustin returned to Stansell Construction, he came back different - more mature, more responsible, and ready to lead.
"I think I grew up," he said. "I definitely learned a lot more, but I was a lot more responsible and more of a leading role."
Because Glen Anderson is a respected Area Supervisor at Stansell, Dustin knew some people would assume his path was easier than it really was. He heard the comments. He felt the pressure. And he chose to answer the only way he knew how - by working.
"Probably being in his shadow or thinking that I can only do these things because of him," Dustin said of the most difficult part of working at Stansell with his father. "I wasn't just thinking that - I heard it from some people, too. It was not fun at all. There's no fun about it."
When asked how he handled it, Dustin's answer was short:
"The best way I knew how to do something about it was just to show them!"
Today, those around Dustin say the conversation has changed. Project Manager Micah Sieben noted that if he had to explain Dustin Anderson to someone, "probably one of the last things I'd say is that he's Glen's son." Micah added, "Dustin is his own entity."
Area Supervisor Alan Bradford put it even more directly. If someone claimed Dustin was only a superintendent because of his father, Alan said, "Spend 72 hours with him on a job site. Then tell me that again."
Alan continued, "That's a bunch of baloney. He's not perfect and there are things he's still working on, but damn does he walk on the right side of the fence of perfection. I don't want to say he checks a lot of boxes. I think he makes sure the boxes are checked!"
For Dustin, safety is not a separate item from the work. It is the condition that makes the work possible.
"The delegated tasks can't be done if they're not done safely," he said. "So, it falls right in with the most important thing of the day."
That belief shows up before the first trade partner swings a hammer. Dustin knows the superintendent often sets the tone as soon as someone steps onto the job.
"I'm always the first impression," he said. "So, I make sure the Trade Partners see us wearing all the PPE and it's right out front. That way they know it's required right away. I never go tell someone to wear it if I'm not wearing it."
Micah has seen that consistency firsthand.
"Dustin is definitely always setting the example with safety," Micah said. "I've never come to a job site and had him not have all of his PPE on that he needs in order to run the job. Whether Dustin is supervising or even getting his hands dirty, he's always got his PPE on."
Dustin's approach is firm, but respectful. Micah said he has heard Dustin correct PPE issues on site without turning the moment into a confrontation.
"He's not afraid to say something," Micah said. "He just says, 'Hey man, please get your hard hat on.' It's all done respectfully."
That respectful firmness reflects one of Stansell's four pillars: how we treat people. Dustin said it is the pillar he tries to live out every day.
"Treating people how you ought to be treated," he said. "Everyone's equal. We need to wear the same protection just to be as safe as the guy before you or the same person. So, everyone needs to be on that same level, no one's different."
Dustin also believes safety is visible in the condition of the jobsite. Cleanliness, organization, and preparation are not cosmetic details to him. They are part of how a superintendent protects people, supports trade partners, and serves the client.
"I try to explain to them that if everyone cleans up their own mess, no one's going to have to clean up everyone's messes," Dustin said. "To a point where it's like, 'Are you going to make me clean up after you?' That question usually gets the message across and the jobsite cleaned up."
Glen sees the same standard when he visits Dustin's jobs.
"He always has his Safety Station displayed and available to the Trade Partners on site," Glen said. "And he keeps his jobs clean and organized - clean buildings."
That reputation has reached Stansell leadership as well. In an email to Glen after visiting Dustin's South Dixie Chick-fil-A project, COO Andy Hulsey wrote:
"Glen,
I just wanted to tell you how impressed I am with Dustin. Seeing him on the South Dixie Chick-fil-A job, especially with everything this project has thrown at us, has been impressive. His job site is organized, he's kept a positive attitude, and he's done a great job thinking outside the box to keep work moving instead of dwelling on the things outside his control.
He's focused on what he can impact, and that says a lot about him. You should be proud of Dustin, and proud of yourself for what you've taught him. It's obvious he's learned a lot from you. I truly believe he's a future leader and a real talent for this company.
-Andy"
Dustin's safety mindset also shows up in how he plans the work. He sees the three-week lookahead as more than a schedule. It is a tool that helps prevent trade partners from stacking on top of one another, protects hard dates, and keeps the project in motion.
"It helps me remember and helps me project the schedule," Dustin said. "It's kind of like a waiter or waitress. They can't possibly keep everything in their head when they're taking an order, so when they get back to your table they may have forgotten your Diet Coke. That could be prevented if they just wrote it down."
That organization matters in QSR construction, where schedules are tight, stores may remain open, and customer experience matters.
"I think customer service is how the customer and the client remembers your service," Dustin said. "You need to make it memorable in a good way, not a bad way."
Micah described Dustin's jobsite presence as unusually seasoned for one of Stansell's younger superintendents.
"Dustin is extremely intelligent, very organized and great with communication," Micah said. "The way that he attacks a job is his mindset, a very seasoned mindset. He's not content to sit and let things come to him. He wants to make things happen."
Micah added that Dustin has stepped into difficult jobs and restored control.
"There have been situations where it felt like we were losing our grasp of control on a job, and Dustin literally came in and saved the day," he said. "That's no small feat for any Superintendent, but especially from a guy who is on the younger side."
Behind Dustin's daily focus on safety is a simple answer: family. When asked whom he works safe for, Dustin did not hesitate.
"My family," he said. "My three kids and my soon-to-be wife, and just make sure they have someone to come home to."
That motivation is personal because Dustin has seen what can happen when construction hazards become real. He has witnessed serious injuries, including a nail gun injury and a fall involving metal studs. He also remembers a fatal incident near a McDonald's project in Plant City, where an RV mirror struck a worker crossing the road near I-4.
Those memories shape how Dustin leads.
"Learn from people's mistakes, right?" he said. "Whether that means you laid out a drain wrong or you saw someone get shot in the head with a nail gun. You don't want to repeat those things. I've seen how it happened and I know how it can happen again."
That seriousness does not make Dustin harsh. If anything, those who work with him say it makes him intentional. Alan said Dustin commands respect from trade partners because of "the way he treats them, how he approaches them, how he talks to them."
Alan added, "If you're respectful in what you do, they'll listen to you and they'll let you lead them."
Dustin's favorite thing about Stansell is not a project type or a title. It is the trust.
"Probably the trust that people have in me, and the sense of having another family that I can count on," he said. "The reward of building something that will last longer than I will - that's pretty special."
Dustin is also honest about the realities of being a traveling superintendent with a young family.
"It's obviously hard, and it doesn't get any easier," he said. But he credits his fiancé and children with helping him keep a positive attitude.
"They are a big support team to me," he said. "They motivate me to keep going."
Glen knows Dustin has had to earn his way. He also knows that pressure has helped shape him.
"Dustin has stood on his own," Glen said. "Through the JTS program when he first started, he became a lead man running crews."
Stansell team members have seen Glen and Dustin interact firsthand, and they draw the same conclusion:
"I honestly think Dustin is a very good superintendent that just happens to work at the same place as his dad does," Micah said. "That's all it is. I've been part of their conversations and there's certainly no preferential treatment, I can tell you that. I think Glen is pretty hard on Dustin, but if you asked Dustin, I don't think he'd want it any other way. He's fine with it. Dustin wants no handouts or special treatment. He and Glen have a good working relationship."
As a father and supervisor, Glen said he has pushed Dustin, perhaps even more than others, because he knows what he is capable of.
"I push him harder," Glen said. "But he knows that I want him to succeed. He's got a chance to be much better than me and he already is in some areas. He's way more intellectual than I am, and he's way more calm - he is night and day from me. I've never seen him raise his voice."
That calm, respectful, organized approach is what defines Dustin Anderson today. He is a superintendent who leads with PPE on, keeps his Safety Station visible, expects clean jobsites, treats trade partners with respect, plans ahead, and works every day to send people home safely.
And if anyone still wonders whether Dustin Anderson is simply following in Glen Anderson's shadow, those closest to him have already answered. He is not just Glen's son. He is Dustin Anderson - his own person, his own leader, and a Stansell superintendent who has earned his name one safe, clean, well-run jobsite at a time.
