Honoring the Service of Our Veterans

NEXT Electric Senior Estimator Steve Lammi took a different route to the construction trade, and his path went straight through Kandahar.

Steve joined the Army after high school, was assigned to the infantry and served tours in Iraq and Afghanistan during his six-year term.

During his tour in Afghanistan, Steve said he was part of a unit that helped small, remote villages develop economies and infrastructure, all while fighting against the Taliban. These missions were very dangerous. At one point, Steve was down three weeks after receiving injuries from a grenade thrown near him that required shrapnel be removed from his back and head.

Through it all, Steve maintained a healthy perspective and committed himself to his mission. “There were people in these incredibly remote valleys that did not even know what the United States of America was,” Steve said. “They didn’t know that there was a war going on or what we were doing there.”

After finishing his tour, Steve returned home and reconnected with an old friend who had become an electrician after high school. His quick success prompted Steve to try his hand at an apprenticeship.

As the nation celebrates Veteran’s Day on Nov. 11, we salute Steve and the many Veterans who have joined IES, NEXT and SME after concluding their military careers. “The biggest thing that I took from the military to my apprenticeship was the discipline, the organization, the integrity, honor, and the desire to do things the right way,” Steve said.

Like many other Veterans within our field, Steve’s military experiences helped pave the way in his construction career.

“My organization skills came from the military. My previous employer recognized those skills and promoted me from the field to become a project manager,” Steve said.

Those experiences also provided him the knowledge to serve as the general contractor during the building of his family’s dream home. Steve joined NEXT Electric six years ago as an estimator, one of several Veterans at that branch.