Angie Simon
Representatives from SMACNA, SMART, and ITI gathered in Chicago for a joint meeting of Belonging and Excellence 4 ALL (BE4ALL) stakeholders. The meeting was an opportunity for several new members of the BE4ALL committee and subcommittees to take stock of the initiative's progress and better understand the work ahead of everyone.
Dushaw Hockett served as the facilitator for the event, which began with an exercise that helped to reintroduce/introduce committee members to one another. Next was a review of where BE4ALL stood and a celebration of some of BE4ALL's recent successes in programming and communications.
Next, the various BE4ALL subcommittees separated and discussed their multiple areas of responsibility and outlined where they stood on their major projects. After these breakout sessions, the subcommittees came together and talked about their initiatives with the rest of the group, where they gathered feedback as they prepared for their next steps. Finally, as the meeting concluded, attendees had a moment to reflect on where they felt BE4ALL was heading and the session's impact on them.
Dushaw Hockett
Jen Squirewell, SMACNA’s Manager, Chapter Relations, talked about the significance of this gathering, “This meeting of BE4ALL was incredibly productive, especially considering the many moving parts that subcommittees have been tasked with. Everyone gave excellent input and feedback, and we are on our way to accomplishing some great things in the industry.”
Launched in December 2021, the BE4ALL initiative is a long-term, joint effort of SMACNA, SMART, and the International Training Institute (iTi). BE4ALL seeks to positively impact the industry's work culture so that SMACNA contractors can attract and retain the best and most skilled workforce, regardless of race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or nationality. BE4ALL will help SMACNA and our members meet the real-world demand for the best, and most qualified workforce available for our industry, without quotas or other arbitrary demands on companies.
