Mazzotta Rentals’ Shawn Scalora wins ABC Connecticut safety honor

Mazzotta Rentals Safety Director Shawn Scalora received the Paul Mangiafico Safety Professional of the Year Award at ABC Connecticut’s 2026 Excellence in Construction Awards Dinner on Oct. 29 in Southington. The recognition spotlights the company’s safety training focus and Scalora’s decade of work shaping safety practices across jobsites in the Northeast.

Why it matters: - The award recognizes a safety leader whose work affects workers, customers and job sites across the Northeast. - The honor also underscores how central safety training has become in the construction and equipment rental industry. - Mazzotta Rentals uses the recognition to highlight its broader training and certification programs.

What happened: - Shawn Scalora, safety director at Mazzotta Rentals, received the Paul Mangiafico Safety Professional of the Year Award. - ABC Connecticut presented the award at its 2026 Excellence in Construction Awards Dinner on Thursday, Oct. 29. - The event took place at the Aqua Turf Club in Southington, Connecticut. - Hundreds of construction industry leaders, professionals and partners attended the dinner. - ABC Connecticut marked its 50th anniversary at the event.

The details: - Scalora recently marked 10 years with Mazzotta Rentals. - His work includes safety education, operator training and operational best practices. - Mazzotta Rentals says those efforts help employees and customers work safely and confidently. - Scalora’s influence reaches beyond the company’s internal workforce through equipment safety and operator training programs. - The company says those programs affect thousands of equipment operators and jobsites each year throughout the Northeast. - Mazzotta Rentals offers training in Mobile Elevated Work Platforms, forklifts and telehandlers, rotating telehandlers and earthmoving equipment. - The equipment list includes boom lifts, scissor lifts, excavators, backhoes and skid steers. - Select courses are available in Spanish. - Mazzotta Rentals also provides online OSHA 10-hour and OSHA 30-hour training courses. - The company says the online courses offer a flexible option for construction and industrial professionals. - More information is available in Mazzotta Rentals’ training programs.

Between the lines: - The award links an individual employee’s performance to the company’s broader safety brand. - The training portfolio suggests Mazzotta Rentals is positioning safety education as a business service, not just an internal policy. - ABC Connecticut’s anniversary program also gave the award added visibility within the state construction industry.

What's next: - Mazzotta Rentals is likely to continue leaning on Scalora’s recognition to reinforce its safety messaging. - The company’s training and certification programs remain a core part of its customer-facing offering. - ABC Connecticut’s milestone year may keep attention on leaders and companies tied to safety and workforce development.

The bottom line: - Scalora’s award spotlights both a decade of internal safety leadership and Mazzotta Rentals’ broader push to train the construction workforce.