Cover Story SMACNA's 75th Annual Convention Sets the Stage for Success SMACNA held its 75th Annual Convention in San Diego (not to be confused with SMACNA’s 75h Anniversary, which started the day after the convention) in October. The opening reception on Sunday evening is always exciting, but to see three Navy SEALs parachute onto the deck of the USS Midway Museum in the dark took it to another level. More
Architectural Architectural Sheet Metal Contractors Forum: Good Communication is Key Daniel Gibbons, principal with the national engineering firm Simpson Gumpertz and Heger, covered the benefits of proper communication from building envelope design through installation. More
HVAC HVAC Contractors Forum: The Impact of Productivity “Productivity is the cornerstone of profitability,” said Michael McLin during the HVAC Contractors Forum, “Productivity Tracking in the HVAC Industry for Design, Manufacturing, and Installation.” “The reality is that tracking productivity is part art and part science, so you have to experiment a bit in order to succeed.” More
Residential Residential Contractors Forum: Building Relationships Residential sales management expert Tom Piscitelli shared techniques that residential service-based HVAC contractors should do to create the most profitable sales results. More
Industrial Industrial Contractors Forum: Peak Performance Dale Price of M&P Air Components Inc. discussed the importance of precise industrial ventilation systems design, and Robert Shearer of KBD Technic covered industrial design and the automotive industry. More
From the President: A Time to Connect SMACNA’s Annual Convention is near and dear to my heart. Over the years, I have gone from being a kid at the kids’ table, to accepting the nomination as SMACNA’s president this past October. More
Why Leadership Matters SMACNews presents a new monthly column by Ron Magnus, who will share the essential traits of leaders who set direction, motivate, and inspire. More
Taking an Organizational Approach to Elevate Safety Participants learned how to take a proactive approach to reshape their safety program into a successful company-wide safety culture during the convention session “Elevating Your Safety Program to a Safety Culture.” More
Policy Session Highlights Economy, Future Legislation The Policy and Politics session featured commentary on politics, the midterm elections, economic issues affecting contractors and what to expect in Congress in the months and year ahead. More
Technical Update Spotlights Latest Developments SMACNA’s Technical Services Department profiled the latest advances in their portfolio of technical resources for members during SMACNA’s 75th Annual Convention in San Diego. Eli Howard, SMACNA’s executive director, technical resources, and the technical resources team discussed the department’s current testing and research, educational efforts, and industry involvement. More
How Women Can Enhance Their Leadership Presence The session, sponsored by SMACNA’s informal Women in Construction Leadership Council, featured Vernon and her four-step framework focusing on the “Four Rs” of leadership including reputation, relationships, results, and resiliency. More
New Horizons Foundation: How to Retain Talent, Measure Customer Satisfaction Years of sheet metal and HVAC industry business research are being compiled by the New Horizons Foundation into an easily searchable and accessible Contractor’s Library. More
Labor and Technology Forum: How Technology Will Impact the Future SMART General President Joseph Sellers Jr.’s offered his thoughts on leveraging new technology from a labor perspective and technology expert Drew DeWalt gave his take on innovation in the digital age. More
Product Show Packs in the Latest Innovations SMACNA contractors crowded the aisles to see the newest innovations, software, and industry technologies and to pick up new ideas during the annual Product Show, Tuesday, at SMACNA’s Annual Convention in San Diego. More
Safety Award Winners Prove that Safety Matters A record number of companies participated this year when 250 firms answered the challenge to compete and be recognized for their safety excellence. More
College of Fellows Inducts Eight New Members Bill Ecklund, vice-chair of SMACNA’s College of Fellows, inducted eight new members into the College of Fellows during SMACNA’s Annual Convention. More