The American Heart Association’s Hard Hats with Heart campaign is an industry-specific, year-round effort focused on improving cardiovascular health within Chicago’s construction sector. The initiative aims to deliver community-based solutions that create safer, heart-healthy workplaces and raise awareness about cardiovascular risk factors common in construction trades.
Hard Hats with Heart reported a milestone year, generating more than $1 million in revenue and engaging nearly 100 participating companies. Volunteers with long-term involvement shared accounts of onsite CPR saves in Chicago, underscoring the campaign’s practical impact on worker safety.
The campaign will mark its accomplishments at the 2026 annual Hard Hats with Heart event on Oct. 1 at Blackhawks Ice Center, where survivor moments, co-chair remarks and networking are planned for an expected audience of more than 400 guests.
For 2026 the Chicago campaign named three construction industry leaders as co-chairs: Andy Hill (CEO, Glass Solutions, Inc.), Mallory Gurtz (COO, Gurtz Electric) and Sean Bowker (Senior Vice President, Power Construction). The trio will help steer year-round outreach and industry engagement to advance workplace wellness and cardiovascular safety.
Brittany Walsh, executive director for the American Heart Association, Chicago, highlighted the vital role of construction industry dedication and volunteer engagement in achieving the campaign’s progress and sustaining momentum for future work.
Construction workers in the U.S. face elevated risk for cardiovascular disease because of occupational and lifestyle factors associated with the industry. The campaign cites long hours, high stress, poor nutrition, elevated tobacco use and a lack of heart-strengthening exercise as contributors to that risk profile.
Hard Hats with Heart centers on the principle that you can’t be safe without your heart health, linking traditional safety practices on worksites with prevention and preparedness for cardiac emergencies. The initiative seeks to integrate heart health into workplace safety culture and to increase access to life-saving resources such as AEDs and CPR training through industry partnerships.
Andy Hill is CEO of Glass Solutions, Inc., representing a multi-generational leadership presence in Chicago construction. As a long-time Hard Hats volunteer, Hill has set an ambitious goal to place AEDs at every job site in America to empower construction workers to respond to cardiac emergencies. His community service includes board roles such as participation on the Coaches Vs. Cancer national planning committee and the St. Francis High School board.
Hill described the campaign as transformational for engaging individuals and the industry on health, and expressed appreciation for the trust placed in him to lead the local effort in 2026.
Mallory Gurtz brings more than 10 years of experience in the electrical industry, focusing on mentorship, operations and cultivating workplace cultures that emphasize safety and innovation. As COO of Gurtz Electric, she has led projects across the Midwest in sectors including health care, data centers, aviation and entertainment. Gurtz serves on several industry boards, such as the Electrical Contractors Association of Chicago and the Scouts Construction Industry committee.
Gurtz emphasized collaboration as central to meaningful change, noting that Chicago’s leadership in architecture and construction must include conversations about workplace wellness to sustain creativity and business strength.
Sean Bowker, senior vice president at Power Construction, has nearly three decades with the company, which has delivered projects in healthcare, food, hospitality, residential and corporate sectors. Bowker’s participation in Hard Hats with Heart reflects a commitment to investing in people and continuous industry learning.
He framed workplace health as essential to making the industry safe, equitable and successful for future generations and said he is honored to help shape evolving approaches to healthy workplaces.
The campaign credited its latest year with surpassing $1 million in revenue and engaging nearly 100 companies. The Hard Hats with Heart annual event on Oct. 1 will celebrate accomplishments with survivor stories, remarks from the co-chairs and opportunities for networking among sponsors, volunteers and industry leaders.
Event sponsorship for 2026 includes Glass Solutions, Advance Mechanical, Automated Logic Controls, Connelly Electric, Gurtz Electric, Power Construction, The Hill Group and additional partners. The event anticipates more than 400 guests.
For more information about Hard Hats with Heart in Chicago, the source lists Jasmine Richardson as a contact at Jasmine.Richardson@Heart.org.
Sponsors named for the 2026 Hard Hats with Heart event represent a cross-section of Chicago construction firms and vendors. The campaign encourages continued industry engagement to expand workplace wellness measures, reinforce CPR and AED access, and build collaborative approaches to cardiovascular prevention on job sites.
Contact for the Chicago campaign: Jasmine Richardson — Jasmine.Richardson@Heart.org.
The American Heart Association is described in the source as an organization committed to longer, healthier lives and equitable health in all communities. Supported by more than 35 million volunteers globally, the AHA funds research, advocates for public health, and provides resources to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease and stroke. The association’s work spans science, policy and care with the goal of advancing health and transforming lives.