Leading With Heart—On and Off the Jobsite

What does a Safety Operations Leader do?

My role is to be a reliable point of support for our field teams. That ranges from visiting projects, answering calls, helping solve problems, or offering real-time safety guidance. Safety is my top priority, so I make sure I am available to field phone calls and provide the clear direction and safety support my project teams need.

I oversee safety support for roughly half of our Data Center market through collaboration with our project teams as well as interacting directly with our customers and ensuring their satisfaction. I also spend a lot of time analyzing and presenting safety data internally during our weekly safety calls as well as directly to customers.

How do you approach leading your teams?

A lesson I learned very quickly throughout my career at Gray is that there is no “one-size-fits-all” method to leading teams. Each person is at a different stage in their life and career, and I think it’s important for leaders to not only recognize that but build it into their leadership approach. The way you guide a seasoned construction professional may be different from how you coach someone just starting out. I take it upon myself to learn about my team members, to understand what drives them and how they like to be coached.

Building relationships with your teams is crucial to maintaining Gray’s safety culture.  When people hear “safety visit,” they tend to think of someone walking the site and dishing out suspensions and corrective actions. But when you take the time to get to know people, build that trust and prove that you care, then they get excited to see you onsite and it makes things a little easier.

I also really like to emphasize the importance of work-life balance and doing what’s best for you. It’s no surprise that some projects require long hours and travel. When you’re spending that much time away from home, away from your family, it can be very taxing. I make it a priority to check in on my team and make sure they’re taking time off and caring for their mental health.

How did you get to where you are today?

I started at Gray as an intern in 2018. An internship with Gray isn’t your typical coffee runs and busy work gig—they put you on real projects, and you get to make meaningful contributions to the business. I was put on a project in South Carolina and was later given an opportunity to work in the Lexington office during the semester. At that point, I was working on PPE disbursement and specialty projects like the Lexington office roof replacement.

One special project that is particularly meaningful was given to me by Jim Grant. Inspired by an article he read about the construction industry’s approach to safety, he had me analyze all the safety incidents we had within the last year and prepare data and breakdowns of incidents I considered significant. So, I took my notepad and read through every incident we had that year, tallying what I thought was significant. That research helped lay the foundation for what became our SIF (serious injury & fatality) program—something our teams still use today. Jim even used my research and presented the data at the Gray Annual Meeting that year.

I was hired full-time in 2020 and worked in South Carolina while finishing up the last few classes I had. In my first year, I ended up supporting six different projects all during the pandemic, it was pretty hectic because every state seemed to have different requirements, and I had to ensure I knew them all.  I was able to leverage my experience of working in the field and my understanding of safety behind the scenes. This culminated in me being given an opportunity to work on a project near my hometown and work as a part of a large safety team.

From there, I was given the opportunity to take up my first leadership role on a billion-plus-dollar project for a well-known customer. It was a huge opportunity for me, and I worked on that project for a little over two and a half years. After that, they wanted me to start supporting projects on a regional basis covering the data center projects we have in Ohio. It was a little over a year later that that grew to supporting the entire data center market in the eastern region! There are times when I feel I’m still trying to get my bearings and be someone people can come to and trust that I can help them. Luckily, I have a lot of support from my team I can feel my confidence growing every day.

From my first day at Gray, I’ve seen so much opportunity, not just for me, but for everyone, and I always recognize that.

What makes Gray stand out as an employer?

While I gained a lot of experience and built strong relationships early in my career, spending time away from my family wasn’t always easy. Over time, I realized I needed to take better care of my mental health.

What made the difference for me was the support I receive here at Gray. When I opened up to my manager, I was met with understanding and flexibility that allowed me to find a healthy balance. I learned that Gray provides access to resources like Lyra Health and Corporate Chaplains of America, which made it easier to prioritize my wellbeing.

Now, in my current role, I carry that same mindset forward with my own team. I want team members to feel comfortable with coming to me for support, and I make it a point to remind them of the resources available. Gray is normalizing healthy conversations about mental health in the construction industry. They’ve built a culture that truly cares about the safety and wellbeing of their team members.

Do you have any advice for team members new to Gray?

If you’re fresh out of college and early in your career, I strongly recommend immersing yourself in the field as much as you can and learning the Gray Way. It’s important to recognize that you aren’t going to know everything on day one, that time in the field is crucial learning from the best in the industry.

If you’re a seasoned pro, I’d say to keep an open mind. I know you’ve been in the industry a long time, and there’s a reason you’re here now. Be open to learning new ways of doing things and be ready to share your experience with your team.

Building More Than Just Projects

Looking back, Riley’s journey is a reminder that curiosity, adaptability, and a genuine passion for people can shape a career as much as technical skill. From analyzing safety incidents to leading safety operations for billion-dollar projects, he’s never lost sight of the human side of the work. And while his days are now filled with both site walk-throughs and stroller walks, always finding ways to balance the demands of the job with life’s most important roles—whether in competing with his wife in annual reading goals or driving safety excellence across the region.

For Riley, it’s all about building safer projects, stronger teams, and a life filled with purpose.