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 commercial construction 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 Carlos Ravani.
________________________________________________________________________
Stansell Construction Superintendent Carlos Ravani is known for many things -- his relentless work ethic, his spotless jobsites, his customer-first mindset, and above all, his uncompromising commitment to safety. For Carlos, construction is more than a career. It’s a calling, shaped by a lifetime of experiences, a deep sense of responsibility, and a desire to deliver craftsmanship that reflects pride, integrity and care.
Carlos has been in the construction industry for more than 25 years, beginning in residential construction before moving into the Quick Service Restaurant (QSR) sector. Born in Argentina to Italian parents with a military background, he grew up hearing stories shaped by discipline and service.
“My father was actually President Perón’s bodyguard,” Carlos shares, a detail that helps explain his own quiet intensity and sense of duty. He arrived in the United States as a toddler, eventually building a life and career grounded in hard work and gratitude.
Carlos joined Stansell Construction in August 2021, and since then, he has become one of the company’s most respected Superintendents -- beloved by clients, trusted by Trade Partners and admired by peers across the organization.
Ask Carlos what matters most on a jobsite, and he doesn't hesitate:
“Safety’s priority number one, so that everybody gets back home safe and to their loved ones,” Carlos said.
His approach is both practical and personal. He insists on PPE use, daily housekeeping and clear pathways on every project.
“I make sure that everything is clean and the Trade Partners clean after themselves,” he says. “They don't leave any loose conduit or anything … especially nails.”
Carlos’ standards are shaped not just by training, but by lived experience. He recalls a tragic incident from his time working in South America -- an environment without OSHA oversight -- where a worker fell from the ninth floor while guiding a crane load.
“Unfortunately, he didn’t make it,” Carlos says.
It’s a memory that still drives him today. “If this would have been in the United States, they would have shut everything down. There would have been fine. Safety regulations exist for a reason.”
That perspective helps explain why Carlos is uncompromising -- and why the crews who work under him quickly learn to appreciate it.
“Carlos has really good detail for noticing safety concerns,” said Area Supervisor Jeff Black, who also noted that Carlos’ ability to fluently speak English, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese helps him communicate in construction. “He does a great job of communicating in a way that encourages Trade Partners to embrace the safety culture. Carlos does a good job of presenting safety concerns for our Trade Partners, our clients and our clients’ customers.”
Carlos’ commitment to improvement extends beyond enforcement. He embodies Stansell’s kaizen mindset of continuous improvement. One example: his redesign of the Stansell Safety Station.
“The one we had was bulky and heavy. So, I made one out of PVC,” said Carlos, who also creates and sculps art pieces using PVC as a hobby outside of work. “The revamped Safety Station is lighter, and you can actually use it as a fire extinguisher stand… and you can travel with it even in a small car.”
The people who work closest with Carlos on his projects appreciate his initiative and innovation.
“Carlos is always thinking outside the box as far as how to present safety,” said Jeff. “His redesign of the Stansell Safety Station is a great example of that.”
For Carlos, innovation isn’t about convenience -- it’s about removing obstacles so safety always comes first.
For Carlos, customer service and safety go hand-in-hand.
“I build these things like they were my own,” Carlos said of QSR projects. “If it’s not good to me, I know it’s not going to be good to Stansell. So, I give 100 percent quality work and make sure everything is right and we achieve a zero punch list.”
His attention to detail has earned him more than a dozen heartfelt notes from clients over the years. The letters often praise his professionalism, communication and ability to deliver spotless, high-quality projects while maintaining an exceptional safety environment.
Area Supervisor Alan Bradford says that this is no accident.
“I’m a big fan,” Alan said of Carlos. “Carlos runs a very clean and safe jobsite. He pushes jobs forward. He’s a sequence guy -- he likes to schedule jobs accordingly. If everyone was like him, it would save Stansell a bunch of time and money.
“I’ve seen those letters from the clients. Carlos deserves them. He was customer-oriented all the way through the projects. Carlos is really good at what he does. Our clients think he’s pretty good, too. But the thing I appreciate about Carlos is that he knows he doesn’t know everything and is always willing to listen and learn more. That’s what shows us that he truly wants to be the very best at what he does.”
Stansell Construction Project Manager Shawn Abel echoes Alan’s sentiments regarding Carlos’ customer-first mindset.
“He's really customer focused when it comes to that,” Shawn said of Carlos. “He really takes care of the clients, communicates with them effectively, communicates with them often and lets them know what's going on. So, they're in the loop and there's no surprises.”
In addition to his exceptional customer service, Alan highlights Carlos’ humility and drive, pointing out the fact that Carlos has completed more Stansell Training Enrichment Program (STeP) courses than any other person in the company with over 20 trainings successfully under his belt.
“Carlos comes prepared, whether it’s to the job or even the pre-construction meeting,” said Alan. “Carlos is really good at what he does, but he still knows he can be even better and he’s always working to get better. That’s important because these remodel projects are different. They might be similar, but they’re never the same. So, it’s important for Carlos to study the blueprints for each job and focus on those details. And he’s never afraid to ask questions.”
Spend five minutes with Carlos on a jobsite and it becomes clear he is a planner to his core. While many rely on a three-week lookahead, Carlos builds a six-week one -- and posts the schedule clearly for all Trade Partners to reference.
“They can see when they have to come in without having to stop me,” Carlos explains.
Inspectors regularly compliment Carlos’ professionalism, organization and the thought he puts into sequencing.
Whether it’s a detailed pre-construction meeting or the way he sets up his jobsite desk, blueprint station or Safety Station, Carlos ensures that anyone walking onto his site immediately senses order and intentionality.
Carlos’ story spans continents, professions and unexpected turns -- from Queens, New York, to Miami, to North Carolina, where he once worked on properties owned by businessman and Miami Dolphins owner Wayne Huizenga. Through it all, his values have remained grounded in family, faith and work ethic.
A man of faith, Carlos also shares a unique habit: his collection of small Jesus statues he gives out as personal reminders of hope and kindness. After spotting one at a gas station, he felt compelled to share that feeling with others.
“I bought 100 of them… and I give them away now. Just pass it forward,” he said.
Away from the jobsite, Carlos is an outdoorsman at heart -- hunting, fishing, canoeing and anything that lets him reset and return to work with a clear mind.
When asked who he works safe for, Carlos doesn’t hesitate: “My family. I have a lovely wife and two daughters, so I work safe for them.”
And in many ways, that’s how he sees the Stansell family, too.
“Working for Stansell Construction is great,” he says. “They care about you. They spend time and money on improving you. I can’t complain about anybody -- there’s not one person I don’t like.”
Carlos exemplifies everything the Stansell 4 Pillars represent -- Character, Integrity, Work Ethic, and How We Treat People. Whether he’s organizing a jobsite, coaching Trade Partners, sharing lessons from past experiences or handing out a small symbol of faith, Carlos shows what it means to lead with sincerity, humility, and purpose.
Stansell Construction has a stable of extremely talented Superintendents to lead remodel and ground-up QSR projects. Shawn said it’s not one thing that helps Carlos stand out – it’s how well-rounded he is.
“I think it's all in a nutshell,” Shawn said of Carlos. “He keeps the site clean so he can quality check the job as it gets done. He can make the punch and he punches the job as he goes because he does keep a clean site. A clean site is a safe site, but it's also a clean site, so you can actually quality check and look at the work that's being completed. He has good communication with the Trade Partners. Carlos is always striving and pushing all the way to the end of the project. Another big thing about Carlos -- he doesn’t let his foot off the gas! He goes hard all the way from start to finish to delivering a quality, timely and safe project to the client.”
And as Carlos’ long list of thank-you letters proves, the people he works with -- clients, inspectors, Trade Partners, supervisors and coworkers -- notice it.
Carlos doesn’t just build buildings. He builds trust, safety and pride into every project he touches.
