ABC Names Inaugural Health and Safety Professional of the Year
Associated Builders and Contractors announced Jennifer Ferdinand-Stong, corporate safety manager of Gaylor Electric as its first-ever Health and Safety Professional of the Year.
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Jennifer Ferdinand-Stong |
Ferdinand-Stong was recognized at the ABC Convention 2026 in Salt Lake City on March 18.
The award was created to honor health and safety professionals who excel in their field, demonstrate a commitment to industry-leading health and safety, lead in total human health and champion ABC's STEP Health and Safety Management System.
As the recipient, Ferdinand-Stong received a $10,000 cash prize and will be profiled in the June issue of ABC’s Construction Executive magazine.
“Jenny’s daily actions center on total human health, exemplifying her resilience and unwavering commitment to safety,” said Thomas “Murph” Murphy, 2026 Chair of the ABC National Board of Directors. “She is fully present in the field, pairing prevention‑focused hazard recognition with uncompromising ethics, stop‑work empowerment for all and safety embedded in all planning. A mentor and coach, she fosters strong relationships built on trust, measures what matters through leading and lagging indicators and pursues innovation through academic partnerships. Jenny has truly earned ABC’s inaugural health and safety award.”
Ferdinand-Stong has built a career in health and safety defined by results and people‑first leadership since 2008.
Prior to Gaylor Electric, she launched safety programs as a data center facilities manager and was safety director for a seven‑state drywall contractor, delivering projects with no lost time from 2017 to 2020 and zero recordables in 2019 and 2020.
Joining Gaylor Electric 2021, advancing to project safety manager and led $170-million data center construction project with site‑specific training and a customized lockout/tagout program.
Ferdinand-Strong was promoted to corporate safety manager, expanding her impact to a company-wide basis.
“To enhance and improve Gaylor’s health and safety culture, I focus on a holistic approach that treats each team member with respect, regularly checking in on their mental and physical well-being,” Ferdinand-Stong said. “Maintaining a boots-on-the-ground presence allows me to lead by example, directly observing processes and fostering trust within the team.”
She added that she holds herself and her team to the highest ethical standards, modeling the behavior she expects from others.
“I promote shared responsibility, empower every team member to be a safety leader and reinforce that safety is a collective effort rather than a top-down mandate,” Ferdinand-Strong said.
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