Finding Hope Again With the help of his brother, who was re- covering from alcoholism himself and who was several years sober at that time, Pugh finally got into recovery. “I found hope for the first time in a long time,” he said. Tat was 23 years ago. Over the ensu- ing years in sobriety and active recovery, Pugh found a path forward to rebuild his life, his career and eventually his family relationships. He even started a nonprofit (recently shuttered) that worked with kids to teach them life skills through outdoor adventures. In 2021, he joined Coffey Building


Group as safety manager. These days life is full and productive, and he enjoys spending weekends in the winter working as a ski instructor. “Life is really good now, but that wasn’t


always the case,” he said. “I’ve learned how to create what I want in my life, how to create habits and a different belief system than I grew up with. Te emotion I feel today is joy, from having escaped that. I’ve been given a gift, freedom from addiction and it’s an honor for me to share what it was like then so perhaps others can see themselves in me and find some help.”


Advocating for Others Pugh is outspoken in his call for the in- dustry to do more for workers who are struggling by providing them with clear access to mental health and unhealthy substance use programs and resources through employee assistance programs (EAPs) and other avenues. It’s something he feels could have helped him if his employer had offered it and approached him directly when he most needed the help when he was in crisis, something he thought he hid but “everyone knew.” “We spend thousands of dollars send- ing people to project management school or seminars, and yet the one thing that can save their lives we’re not going to


AGC of California, Teichert Partner To Host Mental Health Media Day


AGC of California has partnered with Teichert Construction to host a Mental Health Media Day on May 19 at Teichert’s Highway 156 project near the San Juan/Hollister area. Mary Teichert, president of Teichert Inc., Peter


Tateishi, CEO of AGC of California, and Patrick Nelson, an experienced leader and U.S. Army veteran, are among those confirmed to speak. Key elected officials and agency leaders were invited to attend the high-profile event, which is intended to elevate the important conversation around mental health in the construction industry. The planned Mental Health Stand Down and media day will initiate a call to


action for all AGC of California members to provide stand-downs on their respective job sites throughout the month of May for Mental Health Awareness Month. The stand downs represent an opportunity for employers to have conversations


about mental health, which encompasses suicide prevention and substance use disorders, and offers them the opportunity to discuss safety policies, goals and resources for their workers. As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, AGC of California and its Safety & Health Council are making available an updated Mental Health Standdown toolkit to help members successfully hold their own events. Included in the toolkit and safety manual are stand down talking points, a checklist for a successful stand down, partner invitation to participate, toolbox talks and more. To access the toolkit, go to https:// www.agc-ca.org/sites/mental-health-initiative/planning-your-stand-down/.


talk about because we think it’s an HR problem, or we don’t want to say the wrong thing and get sued,” he said. “As a safety manager, my guys know me and they know they can come to me. I get to know them and can sense when things are up. Tat’s the kind of place we want to be. Construction is a tough job. It is ok to have a problem and get help.”


Sharing His Story Through AGC Pugh’s decision to publicly talk about his mental health and substance use experienc-


es initially sprang from his attendance at an educational session on those topics during the annual AGC of America Construction Safety Health and Environmental Confer- ence in Washington D.C. in July of 2022. Following that session, AGC staff along


with the co-chairs of the AGC of America Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Task Force, Brandon Anderson (vice president of safety, AGC of Missouri) and Mandi Kime (director of safety, AGC of Washington), asked Pugh if he would be willing to participate in a national public


CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR MAY/JUNE 2023


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