In 1997, John Bolt lost two fellow fighter pilots and close friends during a training accident. Both were skilled, disciplined and well-prepared. Both made a mistake, and the system left no room for recovery.
“That was my first lesson in human performance,” Bolt says. “Even the best people can make a mistake, and that mistake shouldn’t cost them their life.”
That tragedy reshaped how he viewed leadership, risk and responsibility. Today, as senior vice president of health, safety, environment and security at S&B, a leading engineering and construction firm based in Houston, Texas, Bolt carries that lesson forward to design systems that expect error, protect people and create space to learn.
Veteran to the Core
Bolt’s leadership team includes veterans who share his mission-first mindset. S&B’s director of health, safety and environment, Geoff McLean, served in the U.S. Army. Corporate HSE manager Jared Martignoni served in the U.S. Navy. Many others across the team bring the same discipline, integrity and sense of service.
Bolt himself spent 26 years in the United States Marine Corps as a pilot and commanding officer. A mentor recruited him into the engineering and construction sector with a simple message: “We can teach you the technical side. What matters is your character and your leadership.”
He started in S&B’s field safety management, learning on the job. From the beginning, he set a personal standard. If he ended a day without making someone’s job safer or easier, he had failed. That standard still drives him eight years later.
From Flight Deck to Field
Martignoni enlisted in the Navy in 2001, reporting for boot camp one day after the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. He was assigned to the USS Harry S. Truman, an aircraft carrier with 3.5 million gallons of jet fuel onboard at all times. His role in aviation fuels involved receiving, storing, filtering and delivering the fuel safely to the flight deck to power helicopters and jets.
“It was a lot of responsibility for a 19-year-old,” Martignoni said. “If you made a mistake, pilots could take off with dirty fuel, and the result could be catastrophic. It taught me accountability and leadership early on.”
He joined S&B in 2008, initially in the IT department, where he completed his bachelor’s degree while working full-time. In 2015, a mentor encouraged him to move into safety, where he now serves as corporate HSE manager. Today, he oversees multiple large-scale construction projects, supports field teams and leads incident investigations. He also manages corporate reporting for high-severity events, ensuring that shared lessons are applied to strengthen the system.
He credits his military experience with preparing him for high-pressure environments. “In the service, you learn to adapt quickly, solve problems and stay accountable. That translates directly to construction safety.”
His advice for veterans? Understand that nearly every military role has a civilian equivalent in construction or engineering. For employers, he said, “When you hire a veteran, you’re getting adaptability, problem-solving and discipline. They’ll follow through on commitments because, to them, it’s not optional. It has to get done.”
Strong Under Pressure
After nearly seven years in the U.S. Army and three combat deployments to Iraq, McLean transitioned straight into the industrial construction industry. “The military teaches you discipline, structure and leadership under pressure, and those traits don’t turn off when you leave,” he said.
He led logistics patrols and managed the movement of critical materials across volatile zones as a non-commissioned officer responsible for convoy logistics and operations. That experience sharpened his ability to lead under extreme conditions, make rapid decisions and take full responsibility for the well-being of his team. Today, as S&B’s director of HSE, he draws on those lessons daily.
McLean urges employers to recognize the value veterans bring beyond technical qualifications. “Veterans know how to be part of something bigger than themselves. They bring grit, accountability and selfless leadership,” he said. “They may not check every box on a resume, but they’ll outwork everyone else and lift the team around them. That’s who you want on your jobsite.”
HOP Spot
Veterans like Bolt, McLean and Martignoni understand that high-risk environments require systems that anticipate failure and build resilience. That’s why S&B has integrated human and organizational performance (HOP), a safety philosophy that reflects their real-world experience. At its core, HOP recognizes that people are fallible; even the most skilled and disciplined workers will make mistakes. The goal is not to chase perfection, but to design work so that errors don’t become tragedies.
That shift changes everything. Instead of asking “Who is at fault?” when something goes wrong, ask “What in the system allowed this to happen?” By studying context and conditions, the team strengthens the system rather than punishing individuals.
For crews, this approach builds trust. Workers know they can speak up about close calls or challenges without fear of blame. That openness helps teams spot weak points early, adapt to the unexpected and recover without harm. The result is a culture where safety is proactive, not reactive, and where every voice helps make the work safer. One decision shows this philosophy in action. After learning that a peer company lost a worker when a sharp edge cut through a fall-protection lifeline, S&B immediately pulled the same equipment from use and replaced it with a safer system. The decision protected lives and built trust.
Another lesson Bolt learned from the cockpit carries forward: leader response matters. Bolt learned early that people take their cues from the person in charge. In aviation and in construction, uncertainty and pressure are constants. “When things get messy, people watch the leader,” Bolt said. “If you panic, they panic. If you stay calm, they focus.”
That idea lies at the heart of HOP. Leaders set the tone in how the organization reacts to error. A calm, measured response turns mistakes into opportunities to learn and strengthen the system. A reactive or punitive response shuts down trust and hides risk. Bolt’s approach and that of his veteran team keep learning alive and build resilience across projects.
Protect and Perform
Construction resembles military operations, including complex environments, high stakes and constant change. Veterans excel in those conditions. They make decisions under pressure, hold themselves accountable and care about the person next to them.
Bolt encourages companies to look beyond resumes. Technical skills can be taught, while judgment, accountability and resilience ingrained in individuals can translate across environments to benefit all.
“Give veterans a chance,” he said. “They’ll do the rest.”
Bolt’s story and those of his team highlight how mission-driven leadership transforms safety from a rulebook into a shared responsibility. At S&B, that mindset is embedded in every project, empowering teams to adapt, speak up and protect one another.
Whether in combat, on the flight deck or on a jobsite, the lesson holds: People matter most, and leadership shapes outcomes.
Reprinted from Construction Executive, November 2025, a publication of Associated Builders and Contractors. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved.