Website www.safway.com Founded 1936 Type of business Private | Headquarters Wisconsin, United States Number of employees 4,000 Area served North America | |
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Industry Scaffolding, Shoring and Insulation Key people Bill Hayes (President & CEO) Subsidiaries Swing Staging, LLC, Waco Equipment Co., Atlantic Hoisting & Scaffolding, LLC, North American Coatings, LLC Profiles | ||
Safway Services, LLC provides scaffolding in the U.S. and Canada for the commercial construction, bridge, special events and industrial markets (including offshore, petrochemical and power). The company also offers rental, assembly, disassembly, training, labor and project management services. With 85 locations, Safway is headquartered in Waukesha, WI, employs 4,000 people and is one of the largest industrial services companies in North America.
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History
Safway was founded in 1936 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin by Reinhold Uecker. Uecker was a mason who established his own business in 1918 and was responsible for the construction of many upscale homes and churches in the Milwaukee area. In 1936, Uecker fell through wooden scaffolding while working on a church steeple. The accident prompted him to design a safer and more durable scaffolding system made from steel. It was the first of its kind.
Beginning in 1937, Uecker filed a number of patents with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and renamed the company from Uecker Equipment Company to Safway Steel Scaffolds of Wisconsin. As Uecker’s product became popular with area contractors, the company changed its name to Safway Steel Scaffolds Supply Corporation in 1941 and acquired distributorships in Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Chicago, Minneapolis, Richmond, Dallas, Baltimore, Washington D.C., St. Louis, Oakland, San Francisco and Seattle over the next 20 years. By 1960, Safway products were being rented and sold through branch and distributor locations in every state in the country.
Company Expansion
From its inception and through the 1980s, Safway focused on providing scaffolding and services in the continental United States. In the early 1990s, Safway began to expand into Mexico.
In 2002, Safway entered the Canadian market by establishing Safway Services, Inc, headquartered in Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta, Canada. Safway currently has nine branch operations in Canada, including Halifax, Saint John, Hamilton, St. John’s, Sarnia, Toronto, Edmonton, Fort McMurray and Vancouver.
In May 2011, Safway acquired Atlantic Hoisting & Scaffolding, LLC and established Safway Atlantic, serving the New York City and New Jersey commercial construction markets.
In November 2011, Safway signed an agreement with Mecan, a large producer and renter of scaffolding in Brazil, to manufacture and distribute QuikDeck® in Brazil and other parts of South America. Mecan is one of ten companies in the Grupo Orguel Corporation that services commercial and industrial markets and is involved in manufacturing, distribution, rental and installation of scaffold.
On November 14, 2011, Safway acquired Waco Scaffolding & Equipment, a provider of scaffolding and access equipment and services, in an auction held on November 10, 2011, as a part of Waco’s bankruptcy proceedings.
Focus on Safety
Safway has been recognized by numerous organizations for its safety achievements. In 2010 Safway was named one of 12 "America's Safest Companies."