The summer of his junior year in high school, Jack Boatman was asked a question that changed the course of his life: “What are you going to do when you graduate?”
Unsure of how he should respond, but still wanting to appear smart, Boatman replied to his boss, Mr. Fink: “I want to be an engineer.”
Not understanding Boatman was really referring to a train engineer, the next day Fink, a civil engineer, brought Boatman engineering books to read. The pair talked about engineering almost daily from that point on.
“I really started to like engineering and the many aspects of it,” said Boatman. That initial misunderstanding helped launch his career in and around engineering that spans more than 45 years.
“It was pure happenstance, but it was a great thing for me,” Boatman said. That serendipitous conversation led him to earn a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from what is now Tuskegee University, master’s in management from Webster University and to serve in executive positions at what is now Boeing and Insituform Technologies, Inc. He also worked as a consultant for a company he founded, Amber Consulting, LLC.
He is now senior vice president of government affairs for SAK Construction in O’Fallon, Missouri. The company works to renew aging pipeline and expand water and wastewater systems without major deconstruction of streets.
Boatman has supported the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) since 1967, when he began his first professional job as an engineer.
Each year, the St. Louis Gateway Chapter of NSBE takes time to push the next generation of aspiring engineers forward.
This year was no different, as the group hosted its 19th annual Scholars Reception and awarded 10 local youth with scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $1,500.
NSBE also recognized Boatman, 72 – who is on the other end of the career spectrum – with its Corporate Leader of the Year Award.
Arguably, Boatman’s recognition and achievements are also pointing students in the right direction and sending the message that they, too, can make it in the world of engineering.
“This is a brand new award, and Jack is the first recipient,” said Ron Moore, director of NSBE’s Pre-College Initiative program for the St. Louis region. “Jack has had a long career spanning more than 45 years dealing with companies that are in the engineering field, and he has always been active in the recruitment and retention of black engineers. Companies should feel the need for and have diversity initiatives and advocates. There are other people performing jobs similar to Jack’s, but he’s been doing it the longest and quite effectively.”
The son of sharecroppers, Boatman spent his early childhood years growing up on a plantation. He said his parents could not do much to prepare him for college or a career, but parents today have no excuse.
He urges parents to take “happenstance” out of the equation and intentionally support their children by placing them in programs and exposing them to opportunities that will help them discover their skills and prepare them for college.
“Remember, I grew up in a time when there were no African-American role models in engineering, so a better way today would include organizations like the National Association of Black Engineers and Upward Bound,” Boatman said.
Even if African-American students are in unaccredited school districts or are struggling in school, he said they can succeed.
“I grew up in an all-black society,” Boatman said. “I attended Jones High School in Florida, which was all black, and I went to Tuskegee, which, though effective, did not have the resources and connections of mainstream universities like a Purdue.”
Also, he said, not only the best students succeed.
“I was not, on paper, the smartest kid in the class,” he said. “I didn’t get all A’s or B’s… but I did what I had to do, graduated and went to the top of two major corporations. No child should ever give up, because there are a lot of options once they are motivated to do something.”
Boatman has advice about how parents can spur their children’s interest in engineering.
“We have to get way from buying only dolls for girls all the time and buy LEGOs for them and other toys that would traditionally be what boys would play with,” he said. “We want everyone to be a good parent, so why not buy a boy a doll as well? Buy toys that kids enjoy but that also pique their interest in math, science and anything that spurs the imagination.”
He also recommends parents use the activities and events in everyday life to make learning fun, because that is exactly what he did.
For example, Boatman made a game out of having his daughter determine how much to tip the waiter – without using a calculator – when they ate at restaurants to teach her percentages and how to solve math problems in her head.
A day in the life of Jack Boatman
Boatman spends 80 percent of his time on the road working to develop new business and meeting with existing clients to discuss upcoming projects. He shares the information he gathers with colleagues, so the company is in the best position possible to win projects when they are made public. A typical day begins at 5 a.m. and ends around 9:30 p.m. after having dinner with clients.
A key component of Boatman’s job involves recruiting women- and minority-owned businesses – sometimes known as disadvantaged business enterprises (DBE) – as subcontractors.
“We’re lucky to have someone with Jack’s experience in this important position,” said Jerry Shaw, SAK president. “He’s extremely well qualified to lead SAK in achieving a key mission—developing programs to address DBE objectives and to promote diversity throughout all levels of our company.”
Boatman is passionate about developing workforce training so underrepresented groups become knowledgeable about working inside sewer pipes.
“It is not something that minorities know about. It is not something that they participate in, nor do women,” Boatman said. “I mean this, and I am serious about it. There must be sharing with minority- and women-owned businesses, so we do a lot of subbing. I don’t need a law to make sure that we do those kinds of things; that’s just part of the DNA.”
His goal is to prepare minority vendors and local taxpayers to be in a position to earn part of the $4.7 billion worth of tunneling work he anticipates the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) will request quotes on in the next few years.
For Boatman, developing solutions and parity in engineering begins with asking tough questions.
“How do you train individuals on top of the ground to face underground challenges?” he asked and then promptly answered. “You’ve got to have a tunnel in order to train them. It’s not something you can put in a classroom. If you put somebody 100 feet underground, put them two miles in – I’m talking about going horizontal now – with one way in and one way out, that’s a challenge.”
Boatman is just finishing up plans to set up mentorship programs in 15 places in North Carolina, so when SAK wins projects minorities and women are prepared to serve as subcontractors. He does similar work in Los Angeles, Atlanta and locally in St. Louis.
He said although most of the work SAK does is out of sight, it should be top of mind.
“If cities or authorities like MSD are not repairing sewer lines, then sooner or later there’s going to be a major problem,” Boatman said. “The things that we do are really benefiting the community, and I think more so than people realize. It’s underground, it goes unnoticed, but trust me, when they (sewer pipes) break it’s a mess. No pun intended.”
Learn more about job openings and the opportunities referenced in this article by visiting www.sakcon.com.
