Award-winning risk management expert will focus on mental wellbeing in the construction industry.
Minneapolis, MN – May 19, 2020 – CSDZ, a Holmes Murphy company, is pleased to welcome Cal Beyer to its Minnesota team as Vice President of Workforce Risk and Worker Wellbeing.
Beyer has over 30 years of safety, insurance, and risk management experience, with 24 of those years serving the construction industry. Prior to joining CSDZ, he was the director of risk management for Lakeside Industries in Issaquah, WA. At Lakeside, Beyer catalyzed the construction industry mental health and suicide prevention movement.
“We’ve had a crisis in the industry for quite some time, and it’s not one you might immediately think about,” said Jerry Ouimet, President of CSDZ. “When we think of risk hazards in the construction industry, we think of the hole a worker might step in or the beam that might fall, but the real hazard is the distraction that’s mental and emotional. Until we address these components, we’ll continue to lose people to suicides and serious, even fatal, injuries. Adding Cal to the team is an integral step in our mission to curtail the mental health crisis in the construction industry.”
“For as far back as we can remember, we’ve had hard hats, but those were focused on keeping construction workers safe from outside hazards to the brain. We’ve never focused on the inside hazards to the brain,” Beyer added. “CSDZ has been an industry innovator for over 100 years, and I look forward to joining them in helping employers and employees address and overcome these invisible risks.”
Beyer has served on the Workplace Task Force of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention since its inception in 2010. He served as Co-Lead of the task force from 2015-17 and was appointed to the Executive Committee in 2016. He was a driving force in the task force being awarded the 2016 Gary Bird Horizon Award for Innovation from the International Risk Management Institute (IRMI). Additionally, Beyer was appointed to the Expert Advisory Group of the Center for Workplace Mental Health of the American Psychiatric Association Foundation in 2019.
On top of all of that, Beyer was also named one of the 25 Newsmakers for 2016 in the global construction industry by Engineering-News Record (ENR) for his work with suicide prevention.
Beyer, a former Eagan resident, is excited to return to Minnesota with his wife, Kris. They look forward to being in the same state as their five adult children and cheering for the Wild.
About CSDZ
CSDZ — established in 1919 initially as a contract surety organization — is a nationally recognized specialty risk management organization. CSDZ is considered the construction industry’s committed leader in risk, innovation, and contributing to our partners’ success. In partnership with our parent company, Holmes Murphy, we are proud to be one of the largest employee-owned brokerages in the nation.
