Sheet metal & Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association

At the David and Lucile Packard Foundation headquarters in Los Altos, California, more than 900 rooftop solar panels produce electricity. Inside the LEED Platinum-certified building, a chilled beam system supports energy-efficient heating and cooling.

SMACNA is pleased to welcome its 97th chapter, SMACNA Hawaii. Effective April 1, 2018, this new chapter covers the entire state of Hawaii and represents 40 contractor member firms who specialize in the HVAC, architectural, industrial, energy management, kitchen equipment, testing and balancing, and specialty sheet metal sectors.

SMACNA Board member Gary G. Luthe Sr., president and CEO of Luthe Sheet Metal Inc. in Cherry Hill, N.J., embraced the sheet metal trade from the bottom up. Gary started as a young apprentice and worked his way through the trades to build his own successful sheet metal business.

When a diverse group of SMACNA volunteer leaders recently gathered at SMACNA’s Association Leadership Meeting last month in Texas, one topic that attracted a lot of attention was “How do we identify, recruit, nurture, and increase engagement among more of our contractors in the industry, and get them to invest their time and energy in the association?”

Attendees at SMACNA conventions often say that one of the main reasons they keep coming back to the annual convention is because they value the relationships they’ve made with their fellow SMACNA members in years past.

SMACNA’s Capitol Hill staff has reached out to every member in the U.S. House of Representatives to urge them to co-sponsor The Prior Approval Reform Act (H.R. 2101). This piece of legislation would repeal the Federal Election Campaign Act’s “prior approval” requirement for corporate members of trade association political action committees (PACs).

What if it were possible to identify and remove a potential barrier SMACNA contractors face in the residential market? SMACNA’s manual, Successful Customer Service Practices for HVAC Service and Retrofit Contractors, written specifically for residential contractors, illustrates a different way of looking at customer service when compared to commercial markets.

SMACNA and its allies in the Alliance for Industrial Efficiency (AIE) saw positive results in securing funding support for energy efficiency initiatives in the Fiscal Year 2018 Omnibus Appropriations bill that passed Congress in late March.

Approximately 30 SMACNA chapters and contractors preparing to negotiate new collective bargaining agreements attended SMACNA’s Collective Bargaining Orientation in Dallas for in-depth strategy sessions on key bargaining data, current issues, and the legal aspects of bargaining.

Tradesmen take pride in their work, so who could blame employees at Triple S Air Systems Inc., if they pray for a little rain in late August 2018. That's when the world of professional tennis descends upon the Arthur Ashe Stadium in Queens, N.Y., for the U.S. Open.

New construction technologies and practices including building information modeling (BIM), virtual reality, and lean construction techniques were several of the many skills need to help two SMACNA contractors in Boston meet a fast-paced timetable for Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

SMACNA member supervisors, superintendents, and managers gathered to take part in content-rich, hands-on leadership, productivity measurement, communication, and industry trends sessions during SMACNA’s sold-out Supervisor Training Academy in March in St. Louis, Mo.

Even a company that specializes in artistic projects can tackle a demanding project that challenges the company to take it to a higher level of skill, artistry, and complexity.

Members will learn how productivity tracking can positively influence profitability during the HVAC Contractors Forum Productivity Tracking in the HVAC Industry for Design, Manufacturing, and Installation at SMACNA’s 75th Annual Convention in San Diego, Oct. 14-17.

SMACNA’s College of Fellows elected eight new members at its recent meeting. Induction into the College is a high honor and reflects years of exemplary service and industry involvement.

NYC SMACNA chapter members John Contrubis (left), associate chapter executive of NYC SMACNA, and Sebastian Loaysa (right) of Accurate Specialty Metal Fabricators, were guests of Rep. Joseph Crowley’s (D-14th-NY), at the congressman’s seventh annual spring gala in New York City in March.

SMACNA’s newest chapter, SMACNA Hawaii is supporting their local students and sheet metal programs in creative ways.

The Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Hawaii recently installed Kyong Tae Chang, President of Preferred Mechanical, as its Board President and six officers to the Board of Directors at their recent installation event. They will serve a two-year term.

When members sign up for a SMACNA committee or task force, they are joining a select group of leaders who are helping shape the future of the sheet metal and HVAC industry.