AWP Safety Delivers for Hawaii Customers

 

Q: Brian, you have extensive operations experience with many companies in Hawaii and on the mainland. What sets AWP Safety apart in how it serves customers?

For every business, it’s about building strong relationships. I see that amplified at AWP Safety because we rely on local people to serve local customers. Like most of our team members, I grew up in Hawaii and understand the culture but I come with a diverse professional background. I love drilling down into the facts to make things happen and make things better for everyone involved. Our entire team is this way. We spend a lot of time in one-on-one conversations to ensure everyone understands customer needs and our role in keeping them safe. These efforts are reflected in our customer relationships. Our account managers, branch managers and sales reps get out there and make sure our customers know they’re top of mind in everything we do.

Q: How does the Hawaii team leverage the full scale of AWP Safety while customizing your portfolio for local needs?

Our remote location means we need to be more things to more people. We offer the full-service traffic control that AWP Safety is known for; it’s about half of our business. And we share many of the same processes and systems used across the AWP Safety footprint to deliver excellent customer service.

But we also deliver solutions and expertise that support Hawaii’s construction safety market more broadly, for customers like the State of Hawaii, Hawaiian Dredging, and many of our other construction contractors. Our Oahu and Maui locations are major sources for products like fall protection harnesses, PPE items, and safety products. When someone comes in needing a harness, our next question is “what are you using it for?” We want to ensure that our customer is getting the right equipment for the job they are doing. There’s a big difference between an $80 and a $600 harness, and we want to make sure customers stay safe but also get the best value out of the products they buy.

We also do fire extinguisher certifications and inspections and provide shoring tools and equipment that help construction crews stabilize trenches when they’re excavating. We’re the only certified repair service provider in Hawaii for self-retractable leads used for fall protection. We repair gas monitors that alert workers to dangerous gases when working in confined spaces. Many of these services require intense certification processes, and AWP ensures every team member has the knowledge and skills they need by sponsoring their certifications.

Q: What sets AWP Safety apart from local competitors?

We have the broadest portfolio, the most skilled team, and the closest relationships with our customers. I had a customer tell me recently that while we have competitive pricing, they choose to work with us because our service levels are high, and we get to know their business in ways that add a lot of value. We are the subject matter expert for the products and services we offer on a daily basis. It’s also about the little things. Business partnerships in Hawaii are very relationship oriented and we treat customers like family. We bring manapua, our local take on Chinese dim sum, and other food items to worksites to show our customers how important they are to us.

Q: How do customers benefit from working with a safety company that commits
to more frequent, more personal touchpoints?

Delivering manapua easily turns into a worksite walkthrough where we gain a deep understanding of customer projects and potentially see things they might overlook. An example: We had a long-time general contracting customer down in revenue. Our account managers visited their worksites, talked with their teams, and made safety recommendations that played a role in doubling their revenue over the previous year. Constant touchpoints stoke conversations about their biggest challenges, and how we can deliver solutions that improve safety, efficiency, and their service to their own customers.

Q: How does your team extend those strong relationships to giving back in the
local community?

In Hawaii, there’s always two degrees of separation. Everyone knows each other. So, when people need help and it aligns with our values, there is no question that we will provide it. When the Maui wildfires happened in 2023, we immediately distributed N95 masks and respirators for cleanup crews and delivered first aid supplies donated by one of our vendor partners. We currently have 30 team members supporting the ongoing cleanup, which will take years to complete. We also support fun activities that connect us all, like providing work trucks for parades and donating safety equipment to help with community and roadside cleanup projects. Many of these requests are for what we locals call ohana, or family, projects. We’re proud that AWP Safety is considered part of ohana.