164 Years of Dedication
Part of the five-generation Damiano legacy at O&G, Steve Walker and his son Daniel carry the torch on today’s projects – Steve in the Industrial Division, Daniel in Safety. Their partnership is simple: one builds, one safeguards, both push the work forward.
Working for a small homebuilder and looking for a steadier path, Steve asked his father-in-law, Tony Damiano, if there might be a place for him at O&G. Tony said he’d open the door, but after that, Steve had to earn his place and keep it. Day one at the Watertown Water Plant meant climbing 50–60 feet on staging, edging onto a four-inch I-beam, and setting a rod. He finished exhausted and exhilarated: “I fell in love with the excitement of big construction.” Over time, he worked alongside the Damiano crew in plants and quarries, and today he’s part of O&G’s Industrial Division. Tony’s example stayed with him: long hours and a hands-on ethic still guide Steve. One of Steve’s proudest milestones is watching his son Daniel find his own success at O&G as a Safety Manager.
Daniel grew up in the craft – nights and weekends in the garage with his grandfather, uncles, and father – itching to join in; by six, he was already wearing a welding helmet. Working with family meant high expectations and tough love: sometimes you catch heat for things you didn’t do because it’s “easier to yell at family.” The lesson stuck – take the chewing-out and move on, fix the issue, keep the job moving. His favorite memory is the summers of 1997–1998, riding to Stamford with his grandfather as the new concrete plant went up. Granddad’s crew hung the steel while his father handled the concrete and carpentry, and Daniel soaked it all in – how a plant comes together, the trades that make it work – and, as he jokes, “a whole new vocabulary” that earned a hot-sauce lesson at home. Today, that same camaraderie and accountability guide his approach to Safety: look out for each other, learn fast, and leave every site better than you found it, a tradition his family has carried at O&G for decades.
Woven through Steve and Daniel’s story is Joey Damiano, Tony’s son, Steve’s brother-in-law, and Daniel’s uncle, who served just over 44 years as a plant supervisor, Daniel’s direct boss for 12 years, and a true mentor – “a second father.” Daniel says Joey taught him the most about safety and treating people fairly. If a task edged toward risk, Joey would take it himself to keep others out of harm’s way; when any plant called for help, he dropped everything to get it running again. The family also honors Justin Damiano, Joey’s son, who worked at O&G’s Woodbury Quarry; his time with the company was brief before his passing. The next generation has found its place here as well – Daniel’s daughter, Natalie, spent a summer with O&G as a Marketing Intern, continuing the family’s connection to the company.
Behind today’s father-and-son team are the stories that set the bar: Sebastian (“Sam”) Damiano on the Thomaston Dam (1957) and Tony Damiano’s extraordinary 54-year run (1962–2016). Steve and Daniel carry that standard forward in the work they do together now.
