Jason Sikora

Relentless Ally

From the Field with Heart

For Jason Sikora, the field isn’t just where he’s building new futures for his clients and communities. It’s where he belongs.

As a construction manager for our Southeast operations, Jason doesn’t lead from behind a desk or a spreadsheet. He’s most at home walking a jobsite before sunrise, solving problems in well-worn, muddied boots right alongside the people doing the work.

Jason’s field-first leadership philosophy prioritizes people and their safety and wellbeing in every aspect of our operations. From it, he’s earned a reputation as a Relentless Ally who sets the bar for authenticity, trust and respect—both within Balfour Beatty and the construction industry at-large.  

“For me, it’s simple,” Jason says. “Everybody is important, and everybody counts. If you take care of your people, and you actually mean it, they’ll take care of the work.”

It’s a belief that has guided every step of Jason’s career and one that continues to define how he shows up for his teammates, clients and partners on marquee, award-winning infrastructure projects including US 17 Maysville Bypass, Military Cutoff Road Extension, I-295 Fayetteville Outer Loop and more.

Built Through Experience

Jason built his career in construction the same way he builds projects to this day: by stepping in elbow-deep, learning quickly and taking on more than was expected. As a teenager, he got his start in landscaping until a fortuitously placed newspaper ad led to his first job driving a dump truck for The Six-M Company.

As Jason grew in the industry, his hand was always raised. Whether he was learning to operate heavy equipment when crews were short, running work when foremen were out or taking responsibility for scopes he hadn’t formally been assigned yet, Jason wasn’t one to shy away from the unknown or unfamiliar. In fact, he welcomed just such situations.

“I always wanted to do the job one or two levels ahead of me,” Jason recalls.

Nearly 30 years later, his instinct to learn and do more hasn’t changed.

That mindset, combined with his diverse experiences across grading, structures, utilities, signage and traffic control, give Jason a rare perspective that few in project management possess. It’s what allows him to holistically understand challenges of Balfour Beatty projects before they arise, support crews in real time and lead with credibility because he’s been the man behind the machine.

Safety Shaped by Experience

Jason’s views on safety aren’t theoretical. They’re deeply personal.

While Jason was working for a different contractor, a vehicle traveling at speed entered a closed lane on an I-95 work zone and missed him by less than two feet.  

It’s the kind of moment that stays with you. And for Jason, it fundamentally changed how he approaches risk.

“Even when you do everything right, things can still happen,” he acknowledges.

Today, Jason uses that experience to anchor his advocacy around live traffic safety, one of the industry’s most uniquely lethal and often underestimated risks. Unlike many hazards, the greatest variable isn’t our own work – it’s the traveling public moving through it.

Jason, a frequently invited guest lecturer on safety, often challenges teams and industry partners to change the way they view live traffic hazards.

“What we call a ‘near miss’ out here isn’t a near miss at all,” he explains. “It’s something that could be fatal immediately.”

Through stand downs, jobsite conversations and industry forums with the Carolinas Associated General Contractors (CAGC) and other associations, Jason is helping re-frame how teams prepare for and manage live traffic exposure by emphasizing discipline, awareness and accountability at every level.

Leading by Example

As Jason’s role has grown, his definition of leadership has evolved, but his foundation hasn’t changed.

“My job is to see the roadblocks ahead of the team and get them out of their way,” he says.

That approach was on full display during complex work on the progressive design-build Fayetteville Outer Loop project, where challenging conditions and tight timelines resulting from a major change order demanded more than a top-down solution. Instead of dictating a plan, Jason inclusively brought the entire team together including laborers and forepersons and asked everyone to co-create the plan. The result was a shared sense of ownership, a performance that exceeded expectations and an award-winning project.

Building a Better Industry

For Jason, the mission is simple: leave the industry better - and safer - than he found it.

Whether he’s advancing Zero Harm, mentoring the next generation or sharing lessons learned across the industry, his focus isn’t just on the project in front of him. It’s on what comes next.

Because for Jason, being a Relentless Ally isn’t about recognition or individual success. It’s about the people beside you in the field, instilling a sense of pride in the work they do and, above all else, ensuring they go some safely to their loved ones.

And for a leader who never left the field behind, that will always be the work that matters most.