SMART Safety Gulf Coast
Robert L. Turner, III, Chief Executive Offer
Mr. Turner is Chief Executive Officer of Smart Profitability Solutions, LLC, dba Smart Safety Gulf Coast, a firm providing comprehensive workforce safety programs for businesses across many industries. Bob’s unique perspective is based upon 30 years of operations and executive experience in championing workforce safety programs across manufacturing, distribution, and construction services businesses.Prior to helping form SMART Safety Gulf Coast strategic alliance in 2011, Mr. Turner enjoyed a long tenure as a financial and operating executive with Georgia-Pacific Corporation through 1998. This included responsibility for the $1.8 billion specialty building products unit of the distribution business. From 2003 – 2006, he was CEO of a large construction trade services firm serving California homebuilders, before returning to the Management Services & Associates, LLC practice he had founded in 2001 to provide long-term C-level corporate development, strategic, and financial solutions to CEO’s and boards of middle market firms.
Bob is a frequent public speaker and author regarding growth strategies for businesses, and the impact the 2008 recession is having on business liquidity issues. He maintains deep relationships in building materials and construction related industries.
Mr. Turner has served on several boards including the Management Advisory Board of BeavEx, Inc. from 2006 – 2011 during a growth period leading to a successful capitalization event in 2011 for this nationwide transportation logistics firm. He is a graduate of Kansas State University, and the Graduate School of Credit & Financial Management of NACM, at Stanford University.
Jeremy Guidry, Director of Safety Operations
Mr. Guidry is a graduate of Southeastern Louisiana University (1999), holding a B.S. in Industrial Technology, and an Associate in occupational safety and health. He is Corporate Safety Director of Pala-Group, Inc, a construction and industrial maintenance firm servicing the business industry in the southern U.S., and has been an employee of the Pala organization for the past 19 years. Jeremy is responsible for managing Pala-Group’s safety program which includes over sight and management of the safety staff, program development and maintenance, writing safety plans, providing employee training, managing workers compensation claims. Prior to becoming a member of the safety department Jeremy was employed by Pala Interstate, LLC a sister company of Pala-Group, Inc as a field crafts person from 1992 until 1999.
Barry Abshire, Director of Risk Management
Mr. Abshire is a graduate of Louisiana State University (1992), holding a B.S. in Industrial Technology. He is Senior Managing Director, Risk Management of Pala-Group, Inc, a construction and industrial maintenance firm servicing business and industry in the southern U.S., overseeing the identification of key risks within the organization and mitigating factors such as insurable, contractual, legal, and safety risks. Prior to this Barry was the Corporate Safety Director from 1997 until 2005 when he took on the role of Risk Manager. Barry has 19+ years in the construction safety field.
Sammy Chestovich, CHST, Senior Safety Consultant
Mr. Chestovich has over 20 years of safety experience, training, and education gained in the fields of industrial, petro-chemical, marine and heavy highway / civil construction. Sammy is Board Certified jointly by the American Board of Industrial Hygiene and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals through the Council on Certification of Health, Environmental and Safety Technologists (CHST).His duties and responsibilities include consulting with clients with the implementation, management, monitoring and compliance of their Corporate Safety Programs and other regulatory requirements pertaining to health and safety. He is an active member of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), American Industrial Hygiene Association, and the National Safety Council. Mr. Chestovich served in the United States Marine Corps as a platoon sergeant.
SMART Safety Group – Pacific Coast
Vincent Hundley, President & CEO
Vince Hundley, MS, CSP, STS. Vince is the President and CEO of SMART Safety Group, a full service safety company providing safety products, safety services and OSHA training to thousands of employees in the construction industry. Vince also serves as the Safety Director of the AGC of San Diego, where he oversees all safety training staff, curriculum development and regulatory affairs.Vince has 20 years of comprehensive safety experience and management experience working for a diverse group of employers. He has developed his own brand of Behavioral Safety Management that permeates organizations helping create safety cultures. His belief is that it is important that workers adopt safety not because it is required, but because they are doing it for their co-workers, family and community. Vince also creates curriculum and provides training on a wide range of safety topics.
He is a part of a select few trainers, nationwide that trains the trainers at the OSHA Training Institute. He trains them on how to deliver the OSHA 10 and OSHA 30 classes. Vince holds a BS in Occupational Safety from Illinois State University and a Master’s of Science in Industrial Hygiene from SDSU as well as being a Certified Safety Professional (CSP).
Andrew Ovadya, MS, ASP
Andrew is the Staffing Director and a Safety Consultant with SMART Safety Group and has been in the Environmental Health and Safety field for the past 24 years. Andrew provides written safety plans, employee training, tracking and managing of worker compensation claims. Andrew has performed extensive industrial hygiene duties such as personal air sampling, area air sampling, indoor air quality surveys, personal area noise dosimetry sampling, lighting surveys and ergonomic evaluations.In 1992 Andrew earned a B.S. in Environmental Health from San Diego State University and also completed his M.S. in Industrial Hygiene from SDSU in 2003. He is an authorized OSHA 30 and OSHA 10 construction safety trainer. He has received his Associate Safety Professional (ASP) Status and is on his way to becoming Certified Safety professional (CSP).
Akbarh Arreola, AS, ASP, QSP
Akbarh has over four years of professional experience in environmental safety and health. Akbarh is designated as an Associate Safety Professional through the Board of Certified Safety Professionals and is currently pursuing his CSP designation. He also holds an Associates of Science in Environmental Health & Safety and has enthusiastically pursued outside training to increase his knowledge on a consistent basis.Akbarh has worked in construction environments performing and directing the work of safety auditors, training, reporting, testing, inspecting and investigating. He has successfully supervised and trained hundreds of employees in safety procedures and is very well regarded from subordinates and management alike. Akbarh is a dedicated safety professional and always goes above and beyond the call of duty to keep the workers he oversees safe and educated on safety practices.
Jackson Dalton, BA
Jackson is the Director of Training for SMART Safety Group. His responsibilities include creating and presenting safety training programs. He is a authorized OSHA Outreach Trainer and Competent Person Fall Protection Trainer. Jackson is a former Marine and holds a BA in Business Management from the University of Saint Thomas. Jackson has over 4 years’ experience as a Competent Person Fall Protection Trainer specializing in the specification, sourcing, and installation of engineered fall protection systems for the Military, Oil and Gas Exploration, Wind Energy, Utility, Transportation, and Construction markets.
Matt Stevenson, BA
Matt has completed over 350 Fall Protection and Project Pre-Plans for customers like Google Inc., Nike Headquarters and Stanford University. He is currently managing over forty client’s injury and illness Worker’s Compensation claims. His responsibilities include enforcing the safety and health program of the customer while onsite, supervising daily work and coordinating the schedule and safety plan on jobsites. Matt also organizes and attends Safety Business Meetings with the client, conducts safety audits onsite as well as the office, and trains clients in areas of safety and health including First Aid/CPR, Fall Protection, Confined Space, Excavation, Forklift, Work Zone Flagging, Heat Illness & OSHA Recordkeeping.
Luis Torres
Matt has 10 years of construction management and field safety experience working on public and private construction projects. He has knowledge of Federal/OSHA, Cal/OSHA and Military safety regulations. His experience includes supervising crews, performing required safety inspections, and documenting as a field safety manager. He has completed his dual safety certification from the OSHA Training Institute (UCSD) in construction and general industry. He is an authorized OSHA 30 and OSHA 10 hour trainer in construction and general industry.
