Castle Contracting

Our safety culture is the cornerstone for all Castle operations and projects. May 4–8, we’re taking part in Construction Safety Week 2026, using that time to reinforce the top priority of sending everyone home safe, every day.

The annual theme, All in Together, comes to life through three essential actions: Recognize, Respond and Respect. These pillars reflect how we show up for one another by staying aware, acting when we see something unsafe, and treating every person on our jobsites with care.

Throughout the week, we, alongside our partners and teams that strengthen our shared commitment to safety, will be engaging in activities, including:
🛠 Daily toolbox talks focused on real-world safety practices
🚧 Demonstrations highlighting the latest safety innovations
🎉 Team-building moments that reinforce our “Pride in Safety” culture

We hope you’ll join us, because building safely and with pride takes everyone.

𝐃𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐬! 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐰𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐰𝐞 𝐛𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐝𝐨𝐳𝐞𝐫𝐬!?

It’s hard to picture the civil construction industry without bulldozers. But, thanks to farmer James Cummings and draftsperson J. Earl McCleod, we don’t have to. 😮‍💨 Their 1923 design for an attachable scraper blade for the front of a tractor and their 1925 patent for a front-mounted blade helped pave the way for early versions of the modern bulldozer and reshaped the future of earthwork.

We can’t talk about dozers without shouting out the Castle’s St. Louis Shop & Yard mechanics and their iconic “Dirt Vader” dozer rebuild and custom paint project! 🚜🛠️ ✨

𝘋𝘦𝘴𝘪𝘨𝘯 𝘋𝘳𝘢𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘴: 𝘊𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘤𝘓𝘦𝘰𝘥 1925 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘥 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 “𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘢𝘱𝘦𝘳 𝘣𝘭𝘢𝘥𝘦 𝘮𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥” 𝘰𝘯 𝘢 𝘵𝘳𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘰𝘳.

Most people take the week off before their wedding, but Jake VanBooven embarked on a new civil construction career instead. “My day one at Castle was on Monday, September 18, 2012, and that Friday I got married to my wife, Abigail,” he laughs.

Building on his early days as a union carpenter, Jake learned the trenchless technique of directional boring and has developed into a skilled general foreman capable of navigating large-scale civil projects.

When he's not running jobsites, Jake's probably running cattle—150 head on a farm he co-manages with his dad near Rhineland, Missouri.

Get to know more about Jake:
https://www.digcastle.com/insights/jake-vanbooven-is-built-for-the-daily-grind