Beyond Prequalification

How can stronger contractor partnerships help prevent serious injuries and fatalities? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts sits down with Vic D’Amato of the National Safety Council to discuss how owners, contractors, and safety leaders can move beyond checkbox prequalification and build more effective partnerships around high-risk work. Vic shares lessons from nearly four de...

How do you manage subcontractor risk when everything can change mid-project? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , Shayne Gaffney, VP of Product Transformation and Delivery at Veriforce, is joined by Rob Wagoner, Vice President of Operations, and Haley Russell, Safety and Prequalification Coordinator at Howard Shockey & Sons, to discuss their shift from an annual subcontractor evaluatio...

How do you turn millions in wrap-up losses into a model that transforms contractor risk management across the industry? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , David Tibbetts sits down with Garrett Burke, former Associate Director of Occupational and Construction Safety at Harvard University, to share the origin story behind Harvard’s owner-controlled insurance program (OCIP) turnaround and t...

What separates inspection programs that truly prevent serious injuries from those that simply generate paperwork? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, is joined by Caitlin Bergin of BSI and Corey Silverman of Highwire to explore how organizations can turn their safety inspection programs into one of the most powerful leading indicators in the...

In this episode, hosts David Tibbetts and Shayne Gaffney break down risk mitigation plans and why they’re a critical part of managing both safety and financial risk. Using real-world examples, they discuss when corrective action plans, exception management plans, and other mitigation strategies are necessary, and how they should function as active tools, not paperwork that sits on a shelf. They ex...

In this episode, Shayne Gaffney, VP of Product & Engineering at Highwire, speaks with Heather O'Neill, VP of Construction Specialty Products, and Jen Chadd, AVP of Senior Commercial Line Underwriter at Arch Insurance, about how strong prequalification practices can reduce risk and boost profitability. With deep experience in subcontractor default insurance (SDI), Heather and Jen explain w...

How do trust and leadership influence performance in construction? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , David Tibbetts, CSP, sits down with Tony Iannessa, Founder and CEO, and Chris Farrington, President, both of BIG Construction, to explore their career journeys and the values shaping BIG’s growth in the Chicago market. Tony and Chris discuss how early experiences in the trades shaped the...

How do you educate and prepare the next generation of safety professionals for an industry that’s evolving faster than ever? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , David Tibbetts, CSP, sits down with Brady Keene of Keene State College and Corey Silverman of Highwire to explore Keene State’s unique position as one of the only institutions in the country offering dedicated degrees in safety, c...

In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , Shayne Gaffney, VP of Product and Engineering at Highwire, sits down with Chris Hillyer, Senior Vice President and Regional Director of Pre-Construction Services at Skanska USA Building. Chris shares his nearly 30-year journey in the industry and offers an inside look at Skanska’s central U.S. portfolio from higher education and healthcare to mission-cr...

How do proactive planning and strong relationships create safer, more successful projects? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts, CSP, Chief Safety Officer at Highwire, talks with Robert Pieters, Safety Manager at Riley Construction, about how engagement, empathy, and planning form the foundation of Riley’s safety approach. Robert shares how six-week lookaheads help identify a...

What does it look like when a general contractor places relationships and hospitality at the core of project delivery? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, David Tibbetts, CSP, interviews Barry Stoffel of Gardner Builders to explore how a “green and growing” mindset promotes people-first construction. Barry shares his career journey, from childhood curiosity to leading with empathy at Gardn...

How can safety and operations leaders align to deliver safer, more successful projects? In this episode of Beyond Prequalification , David Tibbetts, CSP, Chief Safety Officer at Highwire, talks with Michael Brakefield, Director of EHS and Risk Management, and Jon Wood, CHC, General Superintendent at Frampton Construction. They share how Frampton’s “Future First” mindset shapes a culture of collabo...

Traditional safety metrics like Total Recordable Incident Rate (TRIR) don’t always reflect the risks that lead to the most serious outcomes on construction sites. In this episode of Beyond Prequalification, hosts Dave Tibbetts and Shayne Gaffney explore why tracking Serious Injuries and Fatalities (SIFs) and SIF-potential events provides a more accurate view of jobsite safety. They define SIFs and...

In this episode, Highwire's Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, talks with Joshua Rogove, President, and Trevor Casey, New Business Development Leader at Consolidated Risk Solutions, about how to improve the effectiveness and profitability of wrap-up insurance programs (OCIPs and CCIPs). They share lessons from years of experience, covering key risk factors during bidding, managing claims m...

What does it take to manage contractors safely and effectively in mission-critical construction? David Tibbetts and Adam Board, Senior Vice President of EHS at T5 Data Centers, break it down in this episode.  Adam shares how T5’s unique role as developer, builder, and operator shapes their safety culture, and why leadership visibility and trust are non-negotiables. The conversation explores the ch...

In this episode, Shayne and Dave discuss how the role of safety manuals is shifting and how AI is helping teams review and apply them more effectively. They reflect on the old days of binders stacked in jobsite trailers and talk about how modern tools now make it possible to extract key insights from those documents in seconds. The conversation looks at what makes a safety manual useful, the diffe...

Join Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts, as he speaks with Jason Edic, VP of Risk Management at Lee Kennedy, and Ryan Rohleder, Director of EHS at Fortis Construction. Together, they explore why falls remain the leading cause of fatalities in construction and what it takes to change that. You’ll hear honest stories from the field, strategies for spotting and addressing fall risks, and...

Highwire’s Chief Safety Officer, David Tibbetts talks with Mike Hennebery, Vice President of EH&S at Torcon, about building inspection programs that do more than check a box. They explore how thoughtful, quality-driven inspections can improve jobsite conditions, uncover meaningful trends, and drive faster hazard correction. Mike shares lessons from his 30+ years in construction safety, discuss...

Join Matt Buzzetta, Safety Director at NOVO Construction, for a behind-the-scenes look at how one of the Bay Area’s leading GCs uses Highwire to understand subcontractor risk and build a stronger safety culture. Matt shares a unique perspective as both a Highwire contractor and hiring client, offering insights into how Safety Scores are evaluated by safety and prequalification teams. You’ll learn...

In this kickoff episode, hosts Dave Tibbetts, Chief Safety Officer, and Shayne Gaffney, VP of Product and Engineering at Highwire, introduce the Beyond Prequalification podcast. They share their personal journeys into construction, safety, and tech, and explain why prequalification must evolve into a continuous, insight-driven process focused on Contractor Success. The hosts also preview future to...