Dan Holmes

Senior Project Manager, Tighe & Bond; Age 37; Education: Springfield Technical Community College (AS); Central Connecticut State University (BS)

Since starting with Tighe & Bond in 2007, Holmes has worked with a diverse team of engineers to develop solutions for wastewater, drinking water, transportation, and site projects. In 2019, he successfully managed seven construction projects throughout the state with a total construction value of nearly $11 million.

What did you want to be when you grew up? I didn’t want to be a civil engineer. As a youngster, I was really focused on sports and aspired to build a career in a sports-related field. In seventh or eighth grade, I recall our school hosting a career fair. Essentially, parents of students would talk with different classes about their careers. One of the speakers was a civil engineer, so I attended. The speaker talked about drain pipes, rain events, and how to convey water, which was all quite boring at the time. I walked out of the room very confident I would never be a civil engineer. In high school, I took a drafting class, where I was introduced to hand drafting and the early stages of computer-aided drafting. I enjoyed that class and decided to sign up for an architectural certificate program at Springfield Technical Community College. I quickly learned I wasn’t going to be an architect, but I enjoyed many of the civil-engineering-related classes and transferred to the civil engineering program. The rest is history.

What goal do you set for yourself at the start of each day? Survive. As long as I meet that goal daily, then I’ve given myself the opportunity to achieve my ambitions.

How do you relieve stress? Fishing. It’s an activity that puts me in a good place mentally. Spending the day with my son on the Connecticut River fishing for stripers during their spring migration eliminates all my stress.

What do you do for fun? I enjoy spending as much time with my family as I can. I coach multiple sports teams for both my children, which is fun and rewarding. It has allowed me to develop a deep bond with them and watch them grow as athletes and little humans. I also have fun when we travel and explore different places as a family. The memories and experiences gained while traveling have been amazing and are irreplaceable.

What will work colleagues say at your funeral? We will miss waiting for him to review those documents.