LATEST SMACNEWS

SMAC News July/August 2026 cover featuring a woman in a sheet metal workshop.

Across the country, women are becoming an increasingly visible force on sheet metal and HVAC jobsites and within SMACNA committees. These professionals talk about what it took to get in, stay in and start pulling others in behind them.

Sep 14, 2026

Download This Issue

SMACNews Issue Archive

MARKET SECTORS

Residential

For Memorial Day, Mendel decorates trucks with patriotic and military themes to honor veterans.

RESIDENTIAL: How One Illinois Contractor Turned Classic Trucks Into Marketing Machines

Mendel Plumbing & Heating’s themed fleet promotes everything from cancer awareness to local nonprofits, proving that community engagement can double as powerful advertising.

READ TIME: 4 MINS

Industrial

A rendering of Micron’s semiconductor manufacturing facility based in Clay, New York.

INDUSTRIAL: Inside the $100-Billion Micron Megafab Campus

As site work begins on one of the largest private construction projects in U.S. history, central New York’s sheet metal industry braces for an unprecedented test of capacity, timing and labor.

READ TIME: 5 MINS

Testing, Adjusting and Balancing

Exterior of a hospital with a parking lot

TESTING, ADJUSTING AND BALANCING: A Prescription for Healthy IAQ

SMACNA of Oklahoma member McIntosh Corp.’s TAB work helps patients, staff and visitors breathe clean air in a new Tulsa hospital tower.

READ TIME: 4 MINS

Architectural

Historic courthouse clock tower under restoration

ARCHITECTURAL: Once in a Lifetime in Copper

Baker Group’s restoration of Iowa’s Webster County Courthouse involved a leaning clock tower, stamped rosettes from overseas and 10,000 hours of field work.

READ TIME: 7 MINS

Adapt to Remain Competitive

When I started as an apprentice 36 years ago, the sheet metal industry looked very different than it does today.

READ TIME: 2 MINS

Eli Howard Named SMACNA COO

SMACNA appointed Eli P. Howard, III as the organization’s new Chief Operating Officer.

READ TIME: 1 MINS

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling visits Luzerne County Community College to discuss HVAC and sheet metal trade careers.

Sonderling Visit Shows the Trades a Path Forward

Acting U.S. Labor Secretary Keith Sonderling visited Pennsylvania’s Luzerne County Community College, where union contractors and educators made the case for apprenticeships, early recruitment and stronger career pathways in HVAC and sheet metal.

READ TIME: 4 MINS

Susan Miller, SMACNA St. Louis Chapter Executive Director.

Chapter Spotlight: How SMACNA St. Louis Built a Union Model That Still Works

Through rebate programs, training partnerships and close coordination with Local 36, the chapter has preserved market share and strengthened its contractor network.

READ TIME: 4 MINS

Capitol Hill Update: Housing Bill Could Speed HVAC Work

The bipartisan 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act may be more than a housing policy win.

READ TIME: 3 MINS

Business professional analyzing data charts on a tablet

I’ve Been Collecting All This Data. Now What?

Effective data management is the foundation of any successful data-driven initiative.

READ TIME: 3 MINS

Laptop, hard hat, safety glasses, and construction plans

Why Job Costing Still Breaks Margin Visibility for Construction Firms

Financial pressure in construction rarely appears all at once.

READ TIME: 3 MINS

SMACNews

Want to read the latest industry news? SMACNews, SMACNA’s flagship magazine, features industry trends and innovative projects that highlight member ingenuity and expertise.

Read the Latest Issue

smacnalogo__185_287__with_white_3a5897_outline