GE Vernova and Boston Celtics launch three-year partnership to recruit and honor U.S. military veterans
Energy giant GE Vernova and the Boston Celtics announced a three-year partnership on October 27, 2026, at TD Garden — timed to coincide with the Celtics’ 20th Annual Seats for Soldiers Night. The deal pairs one of the world’s largest energy companies with a storied NBA franchise around a shared goal: recognizing U.S. Armed Forces members and opening doors for veterans into energy-sector careers.
Partnership announced at 20th annual Seats for Soldiers Night
The timing wasn’t accidental. GE Vernova picked the Celtics’ 20th Annual Seats for Soldiers Night to make things official — a night already built around honoring the military community. The event went down at TD Garden, where the Celtics hosted active-duty service members and veterans for a game that genuinely meant something to the organization.
That night alone, over 1,200 tickets were donated to service members. It’s a big number — but it sits inside an even bigger tradition. Since Seats for Soldiers launched, the Celtics and their season ticket members have donated more than 23,000 tickets to military personnel. Celtics Team President Rich Gotham pointed to season ticket holders as a key part of making that happen.
GE Vernova aims to scale veteran recruitment across multiple technical divisions while using the Celtics’ platform to raise awareness of those opportunities.
“For 20 years, Seats for Soldiers has given us the opportunity to recognize the men and women who serve our country,” Gotham said. The GE Vernova partnership, he added, reflects a continued push to connect meaningfully with the military community — not just celebrate it one night a year.
GE Vernova’s veteran workforce goals drive the deal
This partnership isn’t purely ceremonial. GE Vernova showed up with concrete workforce data backing its interest in veteran talent.
Veterans currently make up 10 percent of GE Vernova’s U.S. workforce. The company also reports a 96 percent first-year retention rate among veteran hires — the kind of number that drives real hiring strategy. It suggests the fit between military experience and energy-sector work runs deeper than a feel-good story.
CEO Scott Strazik put it plainly: “We are not just hiring veterans, we are investing in the leadership required to power the world.” For Strazik, the Celtics partnership is a visibility play — a way to get GE Vernova’s name and career opportunities in front of a military community that might not immediately picture an energy company as a natural next step after service.
The company is actively expanding hiring across Nuclear, Supply Chain, Cyber, Operations, Project Management, and Field Services. Military training in logistics, systems thinking, and high-stakes operations translates well into these technically demanding fields. Veterans can explore roles at careers.gevernova.com.
Military career summit draws more than 165 veterans and student veterans
The evening ended at TD Garden, but the day started with actual work. GE Vernova hosted what it called the largest veteran recruiting event in company history — held at the Celtics’ 100 Causeway Street Headquarters on October 27.
More than 165 veterans and student veterans attended the full-day Military Career Summit. Chief People Officer Steven Baert opened with a keynote on why veterans are central to GE Vernova’s mission. Not a courtesy speech — a real framing of the company’s workforce strategy. A panel called “Mission Continuity” followed, where GE Vernova veteran employees talked about how discipline, adaptability, and leadership built through military service carry over into energy careers. That kind of conversation lands differently when it comes from peers who’ve made the transition themselves.
The afternoon shifted to a career fair connecting attendees directly with hiring teams across GE Vernova’s key divisions. Separately, about 65 student veterans from MIT and Northeastern University gathered in the Sky Lobby at Celtics Headquarters for an exclusive networking social. CEO Scott Strazik delivered remarks there — a signal of how seriously the company is treating this pipeline.
What both organizations bring to the table
GE Vernova is a global energy company headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with roughly 85,000 employees across approximately 100 countries. Its stated mission is to electrify and decarbonize the world — work spanning Power, Electrification, and Wind segments. Veteran talent is framed not as a corporate social responsibility gesture, but as operationally essential to that mission.
The Celtics bring 20 years of credibility in the military appreciation space. Seats for Soldiers is one of the NBA’s longest-running military programs, built over two decades into something with genuine community roots. That longevity matters — it signals this isn’t a one-off marketing moment for the franchise. Both organizations describe the partnership as an alignment of values: service, discipline, and community commitment. Whether that language translates into measurable outcomes for veterans will become clearer over the three-year term.
What this partnership means in practice
At its core, this deal connects two things: a sports organization with a long track record of honoring military service, and an energy company with a documented record of hiring and retaining veterans. GE Vernova aims to scale veteran recruitment across multiple technical divisions while using the Celtics’ platform to raise awareness of those opportunities.
The October 27 events — the career summit, the student veteran networking social, and the Seats for Soldiers game — served as the launch. What follows depends on how consistently both organizations follow through on the commitments behind the announcement.
Kelly is an experienced writer with 15 years of experience exploring the big stories that shape our world, from tech breakthroughs and space exploration to climate, energy, and the fascinating quirks of science. She has a talent for turning complex ideas into sharp, memorable insights that stay with readers long after they’ve finished reading.
