Title: Principal, Founder and Chief Executive Officer
Company: Veteran Horizons LLC
Location: Elkhorn, Nebraska, United States
Jon A. Smith, principal, founder and chief executive officer of Veteran Horizons LLC, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Military for dedication, achievements, and leadership in finance and executive leadership.
Capping off a military career of more than 20 years, Mr. Smith has embraced an esteemed civilian life as a business owner devoted to thoughtful investing and financial management. His military service began when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1988. During his time with the Navy, Mr. Smith became a naval aviator and completed pilot certification through the Federal Aviation Administration. By the time he retired from the military in 2009, he had reached the rank of commander and had been awarded many accolades. Among those, Mr. Smith was presented with the Naval Aviator Wings, the Airborne Wings, a Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Achievement Medal, the Armed Forces Service Medal, the NATO Medal, the Overseas Service Medal and a Navy Unit Commendation. He served in Iraq and was a two-time recipient of the Joint Meritorious Unit Commendation and the Navy Marine Corps Unit Commendation, as well as a four-time recipient of the Navy/Marine Corps Commendation Medal.
During his time in the military, Mr. Smith also began building his civilian career. He gained significant leadership experience as a director at Ford Motor Company, an operations director at Johnson Electric, and a manager at Federal-Mogul, where he assisted in such divisions as engineering and business, business and operations development, ignition, and plant manufacturing and operations. After exiting the Navy, he became a plant manager and director at Associated Materials, followed by more than five years as a vice president and general manager at Honeywell, focusing on the smart energy gas side of the business in the Americas region. Mr. Smith later contributed as global president of mobile pipeline at Hexagon Composites, chief executive officer of Hydromax USA and interim chief executive officer at High Star Traffic. Since founding his own business, Veteran Horizons LLC, in 2022, he has served as the company’s principal and chief executive officer.
Veteran Horizons LLC puts both Mr. Smith’s military leadership and his vast business experience to use in assisting a wide range of clients. He collaborates with companies of all sizes, from small independent businesses to massive, complex organizations. Mr. Smith aids these clients as a board member, adviser, leadership mentor or strategic planner. He also specializes in shepherding companies through mergers and acquisitions, helping with organizational design that leaves the reformed organization positioned to create value as quickly as possible.
Mr. Smith’s performance in the field was born of his academic journey, beginning with obtaining a Bachelor of Science in ocean engineering from the United States Naval Academy. From there, he has devoted himself to lifelong learning, including as a graduate in strategic studies from the U.S. Naval War College and of the executive leadership program at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. Mr. Smith earned a Master of Business Administration in management from Central Michigan University. Most recently, he completed an executive education course in artificial intelligence as it relates to business strategy with the MIT Sloan School of Management in 2024.
A volunteer within his local community, Mr. Smith prioritizes nonprofit activities as one of the most rewarding aspects of his life. He has filled the role of chairman of the board of directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities in Omaha since 2022, as well as a board member of Bags of Fun Omaha since the same year. Additionally, Mr. Smith is an active member of Pay It Forward Omaha, a group dedicated to offering help to others in the Omaha area.
Beyond his military and professional life, Mr. Smith is a loving husband, father to three and grandfather to two. He enjoys spending time outdoors, hunting, fishing, competitive shooting, football, basketball and racing. Looking to the future, Mr. Smith aims to leave a lasting legacy, with a particular goal of addressing challenges in energy policy. He hopes to have a meaningful influence on positive transformation in this space and is focused more on accomplishing that than on financial gain.
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