Letter from the CEO: A Reflection on 2025
Another year dedicated to the future of safety
The last six years have brought incredible growth, global challenges, and everything in between. World events since 2020 have impacted our communities and workplaces in a myriad of ways, and 2025 was no different.
Continued uncertainty around tariffs, global trade, and labor markets greatly impacted the construction and manufacturing industries, with many businesses unsettled and concerned for the future of their livelihoods. We acknowledge and honor those feelings when faced with the unpredictable, as it is never easy. In the midst of great uncertainty, however, there is the opportunity to continue to do the next needed thing and face the future with hope.
As every year before, we at OTW Safety are committed to building a resilient future for our company and our communities. For OTW, this means that when life takes us on an unexpected route, we can push through and continue the work while acknowledging and adapting to the challenges along the way.
As we come out of yet another unprecedented year, we want to take the time to reflect on both the hard and the good – to look back on what we have accomplished despite uncertainty and to look forward to the future of safety with anticipation.
Highlights of 2025
If we’ve said it once, we’ll say it many times more in the years to come: innovation and investing in the future of safety are two of the things OTW Safety values deeply and does best. In 2025, our teams prioritized staying up to date on the latest safety developments and delved into what it would take to elevate the OTW customer experience. It’s safe to say that, yet again, we dedicated the time and investment necessary – both to our products and the areas of our site – that would best enhance every encounter with OTW Safety.
Last year, we focused on meeting our customers where they were, and, to do this, we redesigned multiple products, reevaluated the products that would best serve our client base, and even created new safety accessories. Here are some of the highlights:
OTW Quick Shop
We worked on expanding access to our core product line and debuted our online purchasing site, the OTW Quick Shop. This site, located in the main menu bar at the top of OTWSafety.com, enables you to order small quantities of OTW barricades with just a click of the mouse. With orders specifically intended to use FedEx and LTL, these smaller orders ship quickly and efficiently – right to your door!
OTW42x45
Our Wedge Barricade became the OTW42x45 – this name change simplifies things from every angle, and it clearly states the barricade’s dimensions, which means more confidence in ordering the best barricade for your application.
Crowd Control Weights
We also created a long-awaited accessory for our Billboard Barricades. Many customers appreciate that these pedestrian barriers can be ballasted with water or sand, but, in many cases, it’s not always feasible for an event or venue. To meet the need for a way to secure the barricades without an internal ballast, we created our Crowd Control Weights. These are perfectly weighted and shaped to ballast the barricades externally, and they come in easy-to-transport carry bags that make relocation and storage a breeze. They also help ensure that transitioning barricades from inside to outside (or vice versa) is simple and seamless.
Customers have branched out in their barricade choices, and many of our construction clients have found many creative uses for the Billboard Barricade at their sites. We’re excited to continue to see the CC42 in action across the country and how our new Crowd Control Weights complement uses both new and old. These are now available for pre-order on our site or through our team.
32” Multipurpose JSS Barricade
Finally, we overhauled our 32” Multipurpose JSS Barricade! A redesign completed in 2025 (with high hopes for an official launch in 2026), the new OTW32x45 will feature a similar profile to that of our newly renamed OTW42x45. This updated design emulates our most popular barricade (the OTW42x72) and fully integrates with all of our barricade accessories, like the Barricade Fence Panel and all of our solar hazard lights. The redesign is meant to help meet the needs of our clients across the country, and the refined manufacturing process will allow us to meet high-volume requests for mission-critical projects when needed.
Safety for one, safety for all
Our commitment to improving safety remains steadfast, and we appreciate that you are as dedicated as we are to the bettering of systems, products, and procedures that make safety possible. 30 years ago, OTW Safety got its start in the safety industry by designing its very first barricade… today, we’ve created an expansive product catalog, developed an amazing team, and partner with customers across the globe to make their sites and venues (and more) as safe as possible.
Thank you for your continued support and for trusting us with all your safety barricade and accessory needs. To our customers, partners, and community: thank you for continuing to be the driving force behind everything we do here at OTW Safety.
As you plan what’s in store for this coming year, we hope that you’ll allow us to support your projects and businesses in running smoothly and safely.
We look forward to creating safer spaces for all with you in 2026!
