The American Heart Association is partnering with Charleston-area construction and design leaders on Hard Hats with Heart, a workplace-focused campaign to improve cardiovascular health and emergency preparedness among construction workers in the Lowcountry. The initiative aims to integrate health, well-being and prevention into industry culture and to inspire companies to adopt measures that support employees’ heart health and safety.
The release cites an estimated prevalence of cardiovascular disease among construction workers: approximately 1 in 25 workers in the United States has been diagnosed with cardiovascular disease. The campaign links that burden to occupational and lifestyle factors common in the industry, including long working hours, elevated stress levels, suboptimal nutrition, and tobacco use. The source references a CDC/NIOSH chronic disease data page as the basis for the cited statistic.
Hard Hats with Heart promotes several employer-level strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk and improve outcomes after cardiac events. Specific examples given in the release include:
The campaign’s focus is cultural integration: encouraging companies to adopt and sustain these practices so that health and prevention are part of routine operations rather than one-time efforts.
Fourteen construction and design leaders have formed the Hard Hats with Heart Executive Leadership Team to direct the campaign locally. Though many member companies compete commercially, they have united around the shared objective of improving the health of the construction workforce in the Lowcountry. Keith Horton, project director at Frampton Construction, was named campaign chair and is quoted in the release expressing honor at leading the effort and emphasizing goals of safer workplaces, healthy habits and CPR training to empower workers and save lives.
The release lists the Executive Leadership Team members by name and company affiliation. Team members named in the source include Keith Horton (Frampton Construction, Chair), Blake Banks (Banks Construction), Will Cannon (Young Office), John Edward Griffith (Trident Construction), Bryan Kizer (Landmark Construction), Kara Klunk (C. Herman Construction), Kristen Lanier (Terracon), Paul Mashburn (Mashburn Construction), Jim Moroney (SteelFab), Jason Munday (SeamonWhiteside), Chris Palmer (Choate Construction), Kerby Teller (Crescent Lighting Solutions), Adam Wilson (HITT), and Donnie Yavelak (Gray).
Katie Schumacher, executive director of the American Heart Association – Charleston, is quoted as saying Charleston’s construction leaders are setting an important example by investing in team health, creating safer workplaces, and advancing a culture that prioritizes heart health.
Hard Hats with Heart is described as a year-round campaign that culminates with an annual networking event. The 2026 event is scheduled for October 20 at the Lexus Lounge at Credit One Stadium, according to the release. Top sponsors named in the source include Banks Construction, Choate Construction, Frampton Construction, HITT, Hunter Balow Foundation, SeamonWhiteside, and Trident Construction.
For more information about the campaign, the press release directs readers to the AHA Charleston Hard Hats web page and provides an email contact for event attendance or sponsorship inquiries.
The release encourages companies in the construction sector to implement workplace policies and programs that support healthy eating, physical activity, stress reduction, heart disease education and CPR training. It also positions organizational leaders and sponsors as central to advancing the campaign’s objectives; local firms and sponsors already listed have contributed to event support and leadership. For specific event participation or sponsorship, the release provides a campaign web page URL and an email contact: CharlestonSC@heart.org.
The release includes a standard organization description noting the American Heart Association’s mission as a force for longer, healthier lives, its century-long role as a leading health information source, and its work funding research, advocating for public health and providing resources for cardiovascular disease and stroke prevention and care. Media and public contact information from the release is reproduced: a media contact (Jessica Rodgers, Jessica.rodgers@heart.org) and a public inquiries phone number (1-800-AHA-USA1) are provided. The release also reiterates the CDC/NIOSH data link as the source for the construction worker cardiovascular disease statistic.
Note: All facts, names, quotations and event details in this summary are drawn from the AHA newsroom release. No additional data, dates or outcomes beyond the original source were added.