D. C. Taylor Co. Leads Safety Workshops at 2026 Avetta Summit
D. C. Taylor Co. President Brent Taylor and Safety Manager Kirk Dighton were proud to share their expertise as presenters at the 2026 Avetta Summit in Chicago (May 19-21). The pair led two workshop sessions, “Safety-First Culture Lab: Turning Near Misses into Playbooks,” on Wednesday, May 20, and Thursday, May 21. “Presenting was truly a privilege because it allowed us to connect with others on the importance of keeping safety at the center of every task and every day,” says Dighton.
These interactive 45-minute sessions moved beyond theory and into practical application. Designed for both Avetta’s hiring clients and contractors, the workshops encouraged participants to work side-by-side to transform real-world near misses into actionable, repeatable safety playbooks. “Our presentation was well attended both days, including one individual who intentionally attended both sessions,” notes Taylor.
Rather than a traditional presentation, the sessions placed attendees in the driver’s seat. Through guided exercises, short prompts, and collaborative discussions, participants evaluated their current safety culture, analyzed real-life scenarios, and identified both effective practices and opportunities for improvement. “The interaction was good,” shares Dighton. “It was wonderful to hear participants reinforce the mindset that safety comes first before everything else.”
Attendees were encouraged to engage, share insights, and leave with practical strategies they could immediately implement within their own organizations. Engagement was high and insights were shared freely among participants. “One attendee, who works for a carbon black manufacturer with a strong focus on safety, asked about fall rescue procedures during the presentation, which aligned directly with our next slide. He expressed appreciation for our emphasis on safety, given his company’s past incidents/fatalities,” says Taylor. “Another attendee talked about how they initiate near miss reports, using QR codes as opposed to requiring their employees go to a portal site or URL. Lastly, there was a lot of head nodding when Kirk reviewed ‘DCTCO’ with the group, which led me to believe that using acronyms has a significant impact on behaviors and opportunities to engage their workers,” he recalls.
The 2026 Avetta Summit Chicago brought together more than 250 safety, procurement, supply chain, and operations professionals focused on strengthening workplace readiness through collaboration and shared best practices. The event created an opportunity for hiring clients and suppliers to exchange real-world strategies for aligning expectations, managing risk, improving efficiency, reducing delays, and maintaining safe job sites without compromising productivity.
D. C. Taylor Co. was uniquely qualified to address safety because of the company’s long-standing commitment to building and maintaining a proactive, safety-first culture across every level of its operations. With more than seven decades of experience managing complex industrial roofing projects in high-risk environments, the company understands that preventing incidents requires more than compliance – it takes continuous learning, open communication, and employee engagement.
About D. C. Taylor Co.
D. C. Taylor Co. is a Cedar Rapids, IA-based roofing contractor with 75+ years of experience installing, repairing, and maintaining roofs at commercial, institutional, and industrial facilities. With service centers in four states and 17 service and roofing crews, D. C. Taylor Co. is poised to respond to customer needs quickly and efficiently. For more information on D. C. Taylor Co., visit www.dctaylorco.com.
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