Shilling Construction Company Inc., based in Manhattan, Kansas, was founded in 1965 as Shilling & Aubel Asphalt and adopted its current name in 1985. A related company, Shilling Asphalt Inc., was established in 2006 to operate its asphalt production facilities.

Today, Shilling Construction provides highway construction and paving services for municipal and public works infrastructure, residential development and commercial construction. During construction season, the company typically employs about 100 people.

Shilling Construction is a third-generation, family-owned business. Travis Shilling is an owner and vice president of operations, Doug Shilling serves as secretary and retired President Mike Shilling represents the previous generation. Steve Altobello is an owner and serves as treasurer and chief financial officer. He is also an industry friend and collaborator of mine. Our relationship deepened during the pandemic and continues today.

What I appreciate about Shilling Construction is how systematically its leaders have expanded their knowledge of mental health in the construction industry. The more they learned, the stronger their commitment became to protecting employees and their families. That concern grew naturally from the company’s values.

Altobello describes the company’s primary goal this way: “To enrich the lives of our employees. We want them to feel that their time at Shilling made their lives better because we are transformational in our actions.” He highlighted three guiding values and how the company puts each into practice.

• Family first — Family values are the company’s foundation. Employees become part of the Shilling family and are cared for accordingly. When an employee or family member needs help, leaders look for something meaningful the company can do rather than simply saying they care. Shilling allows emergency use of paid time off and encourages employees to support their families, even when doing so conflicts with work schedules.
• Whole-person health — Shilling supports employees’ physical, mental and financial well-being through mental health benefits, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline resources, a paid mental health day, access to naloxone, financial wellness programs and flexible workplace accommodations.
• Community-focused — Shilling’s business purpose is to improve the roads people rely on every day, critical infrastructure that touches nearly every aspect of life. The company also invests in the community through sponsorships, donations and support for organizations ranging from Big Brothers Big Sisters of America and local mental health facilities to youth sports teams. Shilling remains active in the Kansas Asphalt Pavement Association, Kansas Contractors Association, chambers of commerce and economic development organizations.

As is more common than typically expressed, adoption of workplace mental health initiatives is not always an easy, quick or linear process. It can be a circuitous journey with many paths.

Altobello attended the initial mental health and suicide prevention presentation offered at the 2016 Construction Financial Management Conference (CFMA). His humility and honesty were refreshing as he recalled, “Initially, I did nothing at the time. I was insecure in how I would be perceived on the issues and probably didn’t fully believe in it. I can still remember my anxiety pushing against the idea. Looking back, I was in denial.”

Altobello described a gradual process of becoming educated and developing a better understanding that mental health was a real workplace issue. “It took several years of attending different CFMA sessions and some other mental health initiatives for me to see where there is no shame in embracing mental health in the workplace.”

He continued, “It really started to hit for me in early 2022 when I attended a session that our insurance broker sponsored. I attended the National Construction Mental Health and Wellbeing Summit in 2023 and then took our safety foreman with me to the same summit in 2024.”

What he took away from those conferences was more than information. He said he gained “confidence to support the initiatives, a clearer vision of the problem and a better understanding of the impact mental health can have on employees.”

Altobello also came to recognize something he had never previously considered: “Never did I imagine that mental health would be a safety topic. In reality, it is probably one of the largest factors in preventing safety incidents in the construction world. Mental health directly affects focus, judgment and safety. When employees feel supported and know where to turn for help, they are better equipped to work safely around traffic, heavy equipment, extreme heat and asphalt approaching 250 degrees.”

That evolution in thinking is reflected in the company’s actions. Since 2022, Shilling has designated the business day after the Fourth of July as a companywide mental health day.

Altobello explained, “The Fourth of July falls during the hottest and most demanding part of our construction season. In 2022, leadership saw an opportunity to give employees additional time to rest, spend time with their families and focus on whatever supports their mental health. We made it a paid companywide day so every employee could benefit.”

Shilling has also been instituting many of the policies and practices associated with a recovery-friendly workplace, including signing the SAFE Project #NoShame Pledge, promoting understanding and use of employee assistance program (EAP) services, offering flexible leave and accommodations for treatment and recovery, and placing naloxone in first-aid kits at workplaces and worksites.

Altobello sees a direct connection between these efforts and safety. “Supporting the mental health of our employees is adding to our safety environment. It aligns well with our family-founded values, because we can’t say we care about our employees if we don’t care about all aspects of their health.”

Justin Bayes, vice president of contracts and safety, describes the company’s commitment to mental health and well-being: “At Shilling Construction, mental health is an established part of safety. We reinforce that commitment through training and safety meetings, 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline information on every company vehicle, mental health benefits through Pawnee Mental Health Services and a paid companywide mental health day. These efforts help employees recognize concerns early and understand that asking for help is part of working safely.”

Altobello says supervisors and employees have been surprisingly receptive. “Several superintendents and employees have approached me individually expressing their appreciation for Shilling’s stance on mental health. It has also opened communication, and our employees are talking about it and recognizing when an employee might be struggling. Everyone seems to be much more compassionate and providing room to our employees to address any mental health issues for themselves or their families.”

Safety and Training Foreman Michael “Dino” Cardella agrees: “In the field, looking out for the crew means more than watching for physical hazards. It also means noticing when someone may be struggling, taking time to check on them and helping connect them with support. I’ve seen employees become more willing to speak up and supervisors respond with greater understanding. Supporting someone personally is part of keeping the crew safe.”

Altobello summarized how it feels knowing the company is focused on caring for employees and their family members: “The feeling is one of peace. We know that when we help, we can be transformational in the employee’s life. When we feel like we didn’t help enough and something happens, that emptiness feeling is unrecoverable.”