Woodlands winner of safety award

May 11, 2017 at 12:00a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Woodlands at Austin Woods of Austintown is the winner of the 11th Annual Joan Kovach Safety Leadership Award.

The Youngstown/Warren Regional Chamber’s Mahoning Valley Safety Council presented the award to the local skilled nursing provider Wednesday at the Maronite Center.

“We have to take care of other people,” said Sally Demidovich, corporate administrator of Austin Woods. “We want to make sure our employees are kept safe.”

Demidovich said Rich Liebau, plant manager for the company, “goes out of his way to come up with creative ways to try and get the employees motivated” about safety.

“He is completely dedicated to safety,” she said.

Woodlands also has three Poland locations. The company offers assisted living, rehabilitation therapy, home care, long– term care and other services.

“This year proved to be one of most difficult to choose a recipient,” said Karen Stacey, executive director of leadership and safety programs at the chamber.

The Safety Leadership Award recognizes a company that is a leader in safety training, operations, funding and communications. The award is named in honor of Joan Kovach, who, with her husband, Michael J. Kovach Jr., founded City Machine Technologies Inc. in 1985. Joan died suddenly in a 2006 hiking accident.

Also at the event, the Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation distributed more than 100 safety awards. Achievement Awards, Group Awards, 100 percent Award and Special Awards were all handed out.

Companies who received a Special Award did so for accumulating at least 500,000 hours and six months without a lost–time injury.

Local employers recognized with the Special Award for Safety in 2016 are:

B.J. Alan Co. – 588,298 hours worked

Banner Supply Co. – 963,493 hours worked

Blakeman’s Valley Office Equipment Inc. – 588,640 hours worked

Boardman Local School District – 554,888 hours worked

Columbiana Foods – 902,559 hours worked

Comprehensive Logistics – 724,015 hours worked

Farmers National Bank – 1,063,840 hours worked

Gasser Chair Co. Inc. – 600,144 hours worked

Home Savings and Loan Co. – 4,726,140 hours worked

Kirila Contractors Inc. – 853,834 hours worked

New Leaf Residential Services Inc. – 614,627 hours worked

P. I. & I. Motor Express Inc. – 701,491 hours worked

PsyCare Inc. – 1,210,976 hours worked

Simco Management – 596,562 hours worked

Taylor Steel – 1,086,918 hours worked

VEC Inc. – 1,912,740 hours worked

Zekelman Industries – 548,463 hours worked

“It’s not an easy achievement,” said David Costantino, loss-prevention supervisor for the BWC Youngstown service office.