Mental Health Awareness Month: Ray Stenglein Presentation

At Knutson, we continue to emphasize the importance of mental health. In May, for Mental Health Awareness Month, we welcomed guest speaker Ray Stenglein to talk about his work in mental health advocacy.

After Ray introduced himself, we learned he is a dedicated husband and father, and he cares deeply about mental health, well-being, and suicide prevention. His commitment comes from personal experience. Ray lost his 16-year-old daughter, Annika, in 2016, and his mentor Chris Shaw in 2021. These losses changed his life and gave him a new sense of purpose.

Ray discussed his experience in the construction industry and highlighted the urgent need for greater mental health awareness. The industry’s suicide rate is five times higher than the national average and is the second leading cause of death. He shared his own struggles, the need for better support, and the value of open conversations, training, and EAP resources. He also shared statistics, like 132 suicides each day and 1.7 million attempts each year, to show why the industry needs to take action.

Ray has worked in construction for over 40 years and is now a leading voice for mental health in Minnesota. He has trained more than 30 construction companies, 35 schools, and several communities in gatekeeper training. He is also President of Wings of Hope, co-leads the HEARTBEAT survivor group, and volunteers with AFSP.

Ray is trained and certified to lead several evidence-based mental health and suicide prevention programs, such as SafeTALK, ASIST, Talk Saves Lives, TSL Construction, It’s Real, More Than Sad Teens, QPR, QPR Construction, and VitalCog for construction.

Thank you, Ray, for taking the time to share your meaningful story and educate Team Blue on mental health!