Occupational Safety and Health alum reaches pinnacle of profession

Central Washington University alumnus Brian Sorensen is in the place to be when it comes to workplace safety in the state of Washington.

Earlier this year, his company, Exxel Pacific Inc., received the Grand Award for Safety Excellence at the AGC of Washington’s Build Washington Awards ceremony. The 2025 accolade marks the third time in the past six years that Sorensen’s company has taken home the top honor.

“We have won our category every year since 2014, and this time we managed to pull off a three-peat for the Grand Award,” said Sorensen, explaining that the grand prize recipients are exempt from winning two years in a row. “We are competing against many different contractors, some of which are large international contractors, so to win this award three times in a row says a lot about our mid-size company from Washington state.”

As the Director of Safety for Exxel Pacific, it only makes sense that Sorensen would receive some individual recognition for his accomplishments. The 2007 CWU Occupational Safety and Health graduate was named the Safety Professional of the Year, capping a memorable night for his company.

“I’ve been doing this kind of work for 18 years, and to be recognized as the best in the business by the AGC judges is a huge honor,” said Sorensen, who joined Exxel Pacific in 2020.

The Bellingham-based company builds mostly multifamily housing developments in the Seattle area, along with some hospitals and private school buildings. Exxel Pacific primarily builds in the greater Puget Sound area, but they can be found all over the Northwest, recently picking up a project in Wenatchee.

Sorensen said working for Exxel Pacific has been one of the highlights of his career because the management team shares his commitment to taking care of people.

“At the end of the day, my job is about making sure people get home safely,” he said. “The work we do as safety professionals is about making a difference in people’s lives. If one of our team members doesn’t understand something we’re teaching them, we work with them to help them realize why it’s important. I live for that ‘aha moment’ when the lightbulb clicks on.”

Sorensen said his approach is similar to Exxel Pacific management, which demonstrates genuine care for their employees on a daily basis.

“They believe that people are people and not just a commodity,” he said. “They want their employees to have fulfilling lives outside of work, and they provide enough flexibility for us to be there for our families. And, to me, being a dad is my most important job.”

Sorensen lives in Lacey and has two boys, ages 10 and 8. One of his hobbies is coaching youth football for the River Ridge Hawks club, which is a feeder program for River Ridge High School.

Whether he’s on the job or on the football field, Sorensen enjoys having the opportunity to educate others. In fact, one of the reasons he chose to attend CWU was to become a teacher.

“When I was in high school, I thought I would probably end up becoming a teacher someday,” he said. “That’s what I started out doing at CWU, but one of my buddies told me about the safety program and he recommended that I take a couple classes. I figured out that I could still teach, and when I heard about the 98% hire rate out of college, I was sold.”

Sorensen landed his first job with Skanska USA Building a couple months before graduation and worked there until 2013, first as an environmental health and safety manager and then as a health and safety manager.

He worked for two more construction companies before becoming a parks and recreation safety professional with the state of Washington in 2018. After two and a half years in that role, he decided to return to his roots in the construction industry.

“I'm glad I landed at Exxel because it’s been a perfect fit for me,” he said.

In addition to his safety director role with Exxel Pacific, Sorensen serves as chair of the AGC of Washington Safety Committee and as the construction industry representative for the WISHA Advisory Committee through the state Department of Labor and Industries.

He was profiled in the Puget Sound Business Journal’s “40 Under 40” in 2022, and was named to the “2023 Top Young Professionals” list by the Engineering News-Record.

Sorensen has found success at every stop in his nearly two-decade career, and he proudly points to his roots at Central for jumpstarting his journey as a safety professional.

He credits former professors Mitch Leary and Dave Borkowski with teaching him the practical skills he needed to be successful in the industry. He also tipped his cap to former program director Sathy Rajendran, who now serves as dean of the College of Educational and Professional Studies.

“Sathy did an amazing job with the safety program, and it continues to be the best one around,” Sorensen said. “All of the professors are there for the same purpose, which is to help their students succeed. You’ve got so many people looking out for you, and you don’t find that everywhere. Central really is a special place.”

Sorensen added that he and his team often look to CWU to find qualified safety professionals when they have a job opening. As one of only a handful of Occupational Safety and Health programs in the country, Central graduates are in extremely high demand.

“We look to Central first when we’re trying to fill a safety position,” he said, noting that there are at least 10 Wildcats currently working for Exxel Pacific in a variety of positions, including Safety Manager Spencer Workman (’21, ’23).

“One thing we know for sure is that CWU graduates are hard workers and they aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty,” he added. “We also know they’ve had the hands-on training they need to do a good job. To me, Central’s program is the cream of the crop.”