Finalist
Construction
Bill Fink didn’t always know that his career would be as president and CEO of Area Wide Protective Inc., a traffic planning and control service provider.
However, drawing on his experience as a sports broadcaster, governmental public relations employee and leader of a small insurance company, Fink has made AWP a household name in the eastern United States.
When Fink acquired AWP, the company provided security personnel to stores, events and office buildings. But when a large utility asked if AWP could establish — through controlling the flow of traffic — safe work areas for its linemen when they were doing repair and installation work, he saw it as an opportunity to switch gears. So in the early 1990s, AWP became a low-cost and reliable work zone safety provider.
AWP, which serves 14 states in the eastern Midwest and parts of the East Coast, prides itself on having the most well-trained employees within the traffic control industry, and Fink provides continuous educational opportunities for his employees in order to keep it that way.
Fink attributes AWP’s success to its ability to provide high-quality service at a low price while maintaining a mobile work force that is able to provide services within two hours of a customer’s request. And his entrepreneurial determination has helped AWP establish an outstanding track record for safety, as the company has had only two at-fault accidents in 16 years of service.
Fink has grown his business into one of the most reputable traffic control providers in the nation, and a recent capital infusion from a private equity fund will provide a partnership to expand AWP into additional states, with the goal of providing services to most, if not all, of the major utility companies in the eastern United States.
In addition to his passion for the business, Fink looks out for the employees who help him succeed, and he has funded a life-saving surgery, paid for a loved one’s funeral, funded efforts to prevent an unjust deportation, and provided funds to rescue and adopt a child from an abusive home.
How to reach: Area Wide Protective Inc., (330) 644-0655 or www.awptrafficsafety.com
