Rich, I was just reflecting upon the day’s events and your presentation “The Real Cost of Safety.”  I wanted to reach out and thank you.  You are one of the strongest people I have ever met.  You turned something quite tragic into something that no one will ever forget.  When you completed your speech, one of my guys walked up to you, hugged you, shook your hand and said thank you.  That man’s name is Gary, a 71-year-old Superintendent for us.  He is one of the most intense, old-school persons you will ever come across.  The response from him to your story pretty much summed up the power of Rich and “The Real Cost of Safety”!  He came over to me and told me that presentation almost brought him to tears.  He said he had not felt that moved in his entire life!  Your story is the key to changing the way people look at safety.  I cannot thank you enough for having the strength to turn your tragedy into one of the most inspirational teaching moments I have ever experienced.  My employees and myself are better today because of you!

Todd Dow - Vice President The Dow Company, Inc. June 9, 2024

Rich,

Great presentation today on “The Real Cost of Safety”.  One of the best I have ever witnessed.  I just wanted to reach out and say “Thank You for sharing this message” and keep up the fantastic work.  Your message, hard work, and dedication are truly inspiring!

Richard F Rivera - Celanese Site Learning Facilitator June 6, 2024

You touched the hearts and minds of everyone there in ways that will have an immeasurable impact on how they perceive safety at work and in their personal lives.  I am forever grateful…you prevented many injuries in just one hour, and maybe even saved a life!

Sue Read, LPC - Fleet Pride Sr. Director of EHS & Loss Prevention March 4, 2024

Richard, thank you very much. Your presentation was the most intriguing and engaging safety presentation I have seen. I have some refreshing ideas to build off of that will engage our troops.

Edward T. Schuler - Schuler-Haas Electric Corp. President / COO February 9, 2022

This was the most impactful presentation I have listened to in my career at Kennedy Tank, and Rich's first-hand experience on the benefits of pre-planning, safety huddle meetings, weekly audits, safety observation planning, near-miss reporting, and much more was extremely valuable.

If you are looking for a keynote speaker to come speak to your team, I highly recommend you reach out to Rich for it is the best hour our team has spent in quite some time.

Jim Kennedy Kennedy Tank & Manufacturing Company Inc. Sales Manager August 12, 2021

Rich, I just wanted to reach out and thank you.  I called my wife during our break and told her I just had an hour that changed my life.  I’ll never step on a job site the same way again.

Jeff Olson Project Manager / Estimator Alpine Demolition Services February 13, 2020

Rich's speech "hit me on a spiritual level as well as professional"

Nicole Deren, CRIS® Contract/Project Administrator & Construction Risk and Insurance Specialist Keith Construction, Inc. November 18, 2019

Rich / Karen,

Thank you so much. I’ve had multiple employees tell me that your presentation was the most impactful story they’ve ever heard.

Anthony Marcon, Vice President R.H. Marcon, Inc. March 30, 2019

Rich, thank you for coming out and speaking to us. It was such a powerful message that touched a lot of individuals in that room.

Michael Crist Superintendent NPL Construction March 22, 2019

Rich is awesome, his speech is spot on and so impactful on so many levels. A must see!!!

Curtis Kochman Senior Vice President of Programs - Liaison to London at Vital Insurance Partners January 29, 2019

Have you ever been met with resistance from your employees when it's time to complete their daily JHA? Don't worry you're not alone. Last year, our company was going through that very same struggle... That was until we invited Richard McElhaney CSP, CRIS, MS to speak to our guys about the importance of completing their JHAs and the real consequences that occur when corners are cut on the job. Now, I am proud to say, our crews are ALL on board with this important step.

Brianna Kline MS, MA, CSP, SPHR Chief Risk Officer Casper Colosimo & Son, Inc & Casilli Corporation January 28, 2019

Rich, What a powerful keynote speaker you were at the 2015 ASSE Future Safety Leaders Conference. Your speech, “The Real Cost of Safety” focuses on the impact of a day at work gone badly for the crew, the injured employee and specifically their family. Your speech dovetailed with the comments by Society President Elect Thomas F. Cecich, CSP, CIH on the professional importance of emotional moments of our lives. In fact, your speech created just that emotional learning moment for the almost 200 students in attendance. As all professionals should be aware, your incident highlights the importance of proper pre-task planning and the additional oversight when work pressures are at their highest. Your personal commitment to the future leaders of our profession is commendable.

Mike Sample MS, CSP, CDS Course Director - Commercial Auto & Transportation at Liberty Mutual Insurance November 23, 2015

Rich’s presentation is a must see for all employees at every level of your organization. His passion toward employee safety is contagious.

Jason Malatak; CSP, MBA Director of Risk Management at Mosites Construction Company January 8, 2010