Partners in Progress Vol 16 No 3

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

March / April 2022

“There is no limit to what we can do and build together...”

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. AL LABELLA Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor

10 CONTENTS

March / April 2022 - Volume 16, Number 3

3 TOGETHER AGAIN... BUILDING THE FUTURE! SMACNA and SMART members gathered at the 2022 Partners in Progress

Conference for learning, networking, and partnership building.

4 2022 PARTNERS IN PROGRESS CONFERENCE Educational sessions, inspirational speakers, and one-on-one time for

POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services

Partners in Progress is a publication of the Sheet Metal Industry LaborManagement Cooperation Fund.

All contents ©2022 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211.

10 EMERGING VICTORIOUS SMACNA Capital District and Local 83 had apprentices compete for their

Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available. Issues may be downloaded and printed for no fee.

14 PARTNERS BY DESIGN It was no accident that Local 104 and SMACNA Sacramento Valley brought

For comments or questions, email editor@pinpmagazine.org.

industry partners made this year’s event a landmark success.

all-expenses paid trip to Partners in Progress.

more than 30 participants to Partners in Progress. Here’s how they did it.

16 PROJECT 150

SMACNA and SMART members gave generously to Project 150, a charity that helps homeless high school students live healthy, successful lives.

18 OVERCOMING IMPLICIT BIAS We all have implicit biases, but with awareness and education, we can

move past them.

20 MY JOURNEY: RALLIN HARRIS Rallin Harris did his education “in reverse”, and it made him more

successful than ever.

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S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

Together Again...

Building the Future!

For many SMACNA contractors and chapter executives and SMART labor representatives, the last large industry meeting pre-pandemic was the 2020 Partners in Progress Conference.

Just a few short weeks after that conference, COVID reared its head and changed the world as we knew it. It seems fitting that, as COVID infections and restrictions decreased, the first significant joint meeting for SMACNA and SMART was the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference held February 28– March 1 in Las Vegas.

Partners in Progress Conferences are held every two years.

As soon as one conference concludes, the SMACNA-SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force and staff get busy planning the logistics and educational content for the next one. As COVID continued, there was some skepticism in the industry about whether the two international associations would be able to hold an in-person Partners in Progress Conference this year. The omicron variant of the coronavirus hit the United States just four short months before the March 2022 conference, further fueling projections that the conference would be cancelled.

It is a good thing that the SMART and SMACNA teams stayed optimistic and soldiered on with their conference promotion and planning, because clearly, industry partners were ready to meet in person and devise ways to expand their markets. The hotel room block sold out, and nearly 600 SMART representatives, SMACNA contractors, SMACNA Chapter executives, JATC coordinators, and apprentices attended the informative in-person sessions. That number was only slightly down from pre-pandemic conference numbers.

Turn to page 4 for an overview of some of the educational sessions that encouraged SMACNA and SMART partners to have the courage to embrace change. They learned practical ways to help the union sheet metal industry identify and develop future leaders, create workplace cultures that recruit and retain great workers, and ensure diversity, equity, and inclusion for all.

Learning about important industry issues does not end when the conference concludes. Many of the keynote and other talented speakers suggested additional resources to augment their presentations. A list of books on leadership and business success recommended by Partners in Progress speakers and attendees is included on page 8.

Some emerging leaders competed to earn the all-expense and wages paid opportunity to attend the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference. On page 10, Capital District SMACNA contractors and Local 83 JATC trustees describe the criteria they used to select apprentices Makenzie Loomis and Brett Bowe to represent Albany, New York, at the conference.

What would inspire one SMACNA Chapter and one SMART Local to send 34 representatives to the Partners in Progress

Conference? For the answer, read “Partners by Design” on page 14 to find out how and why Local 104 and Sacramento Valley SMACNA broke their previous attendance level record and maximized their Partners in Progress experience to strengthen their partnership.

Tourists visiting Las Vegas often leave behind nothing more than cash lost gambling at the endless number of casinos.

That is not an acceptable legacy for the Partners in Progress sponsors and labor and management attendees. SMACNA and SMART strive to make a real difference in the communities where they hold educational programs. Attendees’ generous contributions to Project 150, noted on page 16, will help homeless high school students remain in school and learn the life skills to succeed.

SMART and SMACNA have been working tirelessly for years to eliminate bias from industry workplaces, tackling issues of gender, race, and generation, but “implicit bias” presents a different challenge. On page 18, Dushaw Hockett, founder and executive director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity (SPACEs), explains how all human beings have implicit bias. He provides tips on identifying this type of bias and proactive strategies to align our actions and behaviors with consciously held egalitarian beliefs.

This edition’s “My Journey” on page 20 features a project manager who did his industry training “in reverse” from the traditional career path. Rallin Harris went through the sheet metal apprenticeship program and became a journeyman after earning his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical engineering. He believes this provides him a stronger perspective in communication with design professionals while understanding the practical hands-on side of the trade.

Rallin describes his key take aways from the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference.

Thanks to all who helped make the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference an overwhelming success. SMACNA and SMART encourage each Chapter and Local to maximize the return on investment for attending the conference by committing to implementing at least one new practice to strengthen the industry.

The SMACNA/SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force did a post-conference evaluation at their April 11-12 meeting in Saratoga Springs, New York, and based on attendees’ feedback will follow up with another valuable Partners in Progress learning experience in 2024. ▪ Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 3

S H E E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N

2022 Partners in Progress Conference

Join SMACNA and SMART on March 1 -2, 2022 at the brand new Resorts World Las Vegas to bolster existing partnerCaptainstrengthen Mike Abershoff, Jim Abbott, general sessions, andwork! networking ships, the industry, and win more opportunities were among the top highlights from this year’s Partners in

Make the commitment to team Progress Conference in Las Vegas. up with your colleagues and counterparts for two days of “We can’t order excellence by sitting in the captain’s chair all networking where you can learn day,” said Captain D. Michael Abershoff, former commander more of theabout: USS Benfold in a keynote talk at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference. “You need to find out what people are • Effective leadership skills

passionate about and connect and engage with them around

that.” When he took over the USS Benfold, it was the worse • Persuasive communication

performing ship in the US Navy. It had an 8% retention rate,

• Practical and when theteam former building captain left his post, the crewMike clapped Abrashoff

Jim Abbott Retired MLB Player Former Naval Commander and cheered.

• Mentoring & nurturing emerging From his very first day, Captain Abershoff knew he had his work cut out for him. How did he turn the ship and crew leaders around to be an award-winning, best-in-class operation? By • Forecasting future economic, rethinking leadership. born without his right hand. His is a story of resilience and Captain Abershoffand met with every crew member individually adaptation, but not in the way you might think. Rather than technological, workforce to find out what inspired them. He made himself available speak on all the ways he overcame his disability, he addressed developments for communication, and he took on the hard jobs, just like instead the resourcefulness and generosity of his community everyone else. The moral of the story? To succeed, we have to in Flint, Michigan, who made sure he had opportunities to do the right thing, instead of what we have always done. play sports. He shared his feelings around being called to Another keynote address, Jim Abbott, former pitcher for meet children with disabilities again, and although DeWayne Ables time andDJ Allen Candie Beane Construction Performance Development the New York Yankees, discussed a numberLeadership of setbacks he he was pleased to do Business so, he was starkly reminded& that it Growth Expert Expert was being was always experienced in his life, the most poignant of which about what he didn’t have.Communications Looking back atExpert his

REGISTER TODAY at www.pinp.org/2022pinp 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

career, his biggest wish was to be treated normally and for his accomplishments rather than his shortcomings. He said the most impactful people in his life were those who were willing to shift their thinking to make him feel at home in his career and life. “If you can find a new and different way to do things, and you believe in what you can do, nothing can stop you,” he told the audience.

Later in the general session, Angie Simon, immediate past president of SMACNA, and Mike Coleman, assistant to the SMART general president, spoke on behalf of SMACNA President Al LaBella and SMART General President Joe Sellers about the importance of labor-management partnerships. They encouraged attendees to have the courage to move forward in new ways.

“Don’t leave this conference and get comfortable again,” said Simon. “Don’t keep saying, ʻthis is the way we’ve always done it.’ Strike that phrase out of your vocabulary, and focus on the growth and the opportunities that arise when you strive for 1% daily improvement.”

Coleman agreed, encouraging participants to view change in small increments and to acknowledge small but daily achievements. “If we all focus on steady increases, there is no limit to what we can do and build together,” he said.

In fact, all of the general sessions focused on the need to shift our thinking. With firm roots in the efforts and accomplishments of those who have gone before, a bright way forward means turning the page on strategies, habits, and tactics that no longer serve the industry.

When Local 66 journeyperson Vanessa Carman first approached Local 66 Business Manager Tim Carter about starting a women’s group, he didn’t really see why it was needed. Then he heard Vanessa’s story. “I asked Vanessa to reach out for other people’s stories, and when she did, they started coming in,” he said. “I saw that there really was an important need for this kind of support for tradeswomen.”

In a presentation on Purposeful Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I), Carter, SMACNA-Western Washington Executive Vice President Julie Muller, and DE&I facilitator Dushaw Hockett told the story of how Western Washington’s women’s committee—which has since become a model for women’s groups across the country—was formed and how it has served women and the industry in various ways, from increasing recruitment and retention to making sure every job site is safe and inclusive.

The most important takeaway was that including DE&I in every workplace requires a change in thinking and a reevaluation of what a shift in workplace culture really looks like. “It means we have to do hard things, even if those things are different from what we have always done,”Muller said.

Another important general session was presented by Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and expert on the Next Generation Workforce. Dr. Twenge presented eye-opening research about how iGen—or Generation Z—is less rebellious, hyperPartners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 5

2022 Partners in Progress Conference

“New generations are growing up more slowly, which is great from a safety and risk-taking perspective, but it also means they are independent, they have a difficult time making decisions, they find it tough adjusting to work and the responsibility, and they need more structure and clear direction.”

—Dr. Jean Twenge, psychologist and author connected, afraid of feedback, and generally unprepared for adulthood—at least in the ways other generations expect.

“New generations are growing up more slowly, which is great from a safety and risk-taking perspective, but it also means they are independent, they have a difficult time making decisions, they find it tough adjusting to work and the responsibility, and they need more structure and clear direction,” said Twenge.

“They have less experience with social interaction, which means a deficit in social skills and, in some cases, anxiety about interacting with others.”

These characteristics require a change in training delivery methods. Millennials and iGen will require specific things in their training, including frequent feedback, reassurances, and smaller promotions delivered more frequently. “It might be different from what we are used to, but it will pay off in the long run,” Twenge said.

Lisa Bordeaux, consultant to the Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force, talked about modelling change, particularly in how workplaces can retain workforce and achieve business success. One area of focus was mentorship and how that looks different today than it has in the past. While it has often been viewed as a top-down flow of information, the mentoring process can be adjusted to offer reciprocal benefits, with both mentor and mentee coming away with valuable 6 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

skills. For example, a mentor may coach leadership skills, even as an apprentice imparts knowledge about technology and different types of communication. “Ideally, mentorship should flow both ways,” Bordeaux said.

Mentorship that leads to retention requires vulnerability, which might be different from what we have always done. Is it what we are used to? Not at all. Will change feel uncomfortable?

Perhaps. Will the change bring value to the industry? Beyond measure. ▪ Learn more about the presenters at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference, and view some of their presentations at pinp.org/conferences/2022pinp.

AROUND THE CONFERENCE The 2022 Partners in Progress Conference brought more than 600 attendees together to network, learn, and pick up expert tips on leadership and partnership building. While attending sessions and interviewing participants, Partners in Progress staff heard some great quotes for success in business and in life. Here are our favorites.

"Our foundation is built on communication. It helps build relationships and strengthens trust."

“If we all focus on steady increases, there is no limit to what we can do and build together.”

— Angie Simon, immediate past-president, SMACNA National

— Mike Coleman, assistant to SMART general president

Partners in Progress is a great opportunity to network, meet other Locals, and find out common interests. Business owners and Locals are able to talk and network and work on relationships by learning each other’s perspectives.”

—Corey Payne, DKM Heating

“You and I get to control our attitude and effort every single day. Don’t give your mindset away.”

—Leadership coach DJ Allen “It is vital to improve our communication skills in our capacity as leaders and teammates.”

—James Dillard, business manager Local 26, agreed.

“SMACNA, SMART, and the iTi are writing a new future for the sheet metal industry.”

— Dushaw Hockett, founder and executive director of SPACES

“Labor and management cooperation is key. We have to make it work. We want to push the industry forward and find innovative ways to recruit and retain people.”

—Matthew Van Der Puy Business Representative, Local 18

Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 7

RECOMMENDED READING Many of the guest speakers at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference have authored publications in their areas of specialty.

Several made book recommendations during their presentations or referenced texts that had an important impact on their lives and perspectives. We also heard from attendees about books of note that they found useful in business and in life. Check out the following list for recommendations, and consider emailing us with your favorites for a second list in a future issue. Happy reading

Recommended by speakers: • It's Your Ship: Achieving Breakthrough Performance by Captain D. Michael Abrashoff • iGen: Why Today’s Super-connected Kids are Growing up Less Rebelious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood by Dr. Jean Twenge • The Xs and Os of Success: A Playbook for Leaders in Business and Life by DJ Allen and Lon Kruger • Imperfect: An Improbable Life by Jim Abbott • 22 Talk Shifts - Tools to Transform Leadership in Business, in Partnership, and in Life by Krister Ungerboc • Overwhelmed: Work, Love and Play When No One Has Time • Tools of Titans: The Tactics, Routines, and Habits of Billionaires, Icons, and World-Class Performers by Tim Ferriss • Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement without Giving In by Roger Fisher and William Ury. • Getting Past No: Negotiating Your Way from Confrontation to Cooperation by William Ury • Difficult Conversations – How to Discuss What Matters Most by Stone, Patton, and Heen Recommended by attendees: • How to Make Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.

• Good to Great by Jim Collins • The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey.

• Leading Change by John Kotter • The Vanishing Neighbor by Marc J. Dunkelman • Change to Strange: Create a Great Organization by Building a Strange Workforce by Daniel M. Cable • Team of Teams: New Rules of Engagement for a Complex World by Gen. Stanley McChrystal

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AROUND THE CONFERENCE

“We have never lowered the bar to have diversity, equity, and inclusion in our programs.”

—Tim Cartner, business manager, Local 66

“We’re all just sheet metal workers, right? In the end, we’re all just workers, but we’re sheet metal workers striving to be something more, something better.”

—Jens Schurig, organizer, Local 23

“You’ve got to communicate effectively and clearly through difficult situations. I want to make myself a more effective communicator, being mindful of how what I say is interpreted, because when you’re communicating, it can be lost in translation.”

— Xander Christoff, Emerging Leader, PLS Mechanical in Colorado Springs

“Diversity is an iceberg, and we are just chipping away at it. I encourage you to go to your Locals and see what you can do to work with them on DE&I. It has made a huge difference in our area.”

— Julie Muller, executive vice president, SMACNA-Western Washington

“Find out what people are most proud of and use that to connect and engage with them. If they feel like you care, they will follow you into battle.”

— Mike Abrashoff, former US Navy Captain

“If you find a new and different way and believe in what you can do, nothing can stop you.”

—Jim Abbott, former professional baseball player

“Service to the community builds bonds and boosts morale for all. We encourage all of you to find a charitable organization or service project in your community that labor and management can support.”

— Mike Coleman, assistant to SMART general president

“Bias and Belonging was a very eyeopening presentation that encouraged me to rethink our decision-making processes and consider how we can improve.” ~ Rick Perdue, business representative, Local 24

“Leaders during disruptive times need to know their competitive advantage, hustle, stay focused, be careful about what they avoid, be precise, act as good role models, and build cultures of trust.” ~ Ron Bailey @necanet Industry Development

"Hope is not a strategic plan. You need to build relationships."

— Matt Terek, McKenney's Inc.

Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 9

Emerging Victorious More than 30 Emerging Leaders—including Makenzie Loomis and Brett Bowe from Local 83—came away from the 2022 Partners in Progress successful in their ambitions to learn, connect, and bring positive messages back to their local areas Words & Photos by / Jessica Kirby

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One of the most pressing issues the sheet metal industry and trades in general face is recruitment and retention. According to the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics, the industry is going to need more than four million skilled laborers to replace the nearly eight million lost from the labor force during the pandemic. Filling those positions will be an immense challenge. Success in recruitment will depend on outreach and communication efforts, which include trade shows, connecting with students in the education system, apprenticeship program development, and educational partnerships.

The Partners in Progress Conference brought together more than 30 Emerging Leaders—individuals who have been in the industry for five or fewer years and who are 35 years old or

younger—to establish networking, mentorship, and education for the future generation of sheet metal workers.

“Leadership is learned,” says Carol Duncan, co-chair of the Best Practices Market Exopansion Task Force, which is part of the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Trust. “The skills necessary to communicate, inspire trust, and build coalitions are something that take time to develop. Likewise, understanding our industry’s future— both the struggles and successes at the highest levels—are not something everyone gets sufficient exposure to in their current day-to-day roles.”

The Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force designed Emerging Leaders as an in-person opportunity for the future Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 11

“Local area partners were encouraged to choose emerging leaders who would ultimately bring diversity in race, gender, abilities, and gender identity to their leadership team.”

—Carol Duncan, BPMETF co-chair leaders of Chapters and Locals to experience just what current labor and management leaders see every day, in a fully collaborative environment where networking and problemsolving take center stage.

Chapters and Locals were invited to register two Emerging Leaders from their area (one labor and one management) to attend the conference. Those leaders’ registration fees wwere covered. Ideal Emerging Leaders were individuals who showed exceptional motivation, drive, and initiative to take on leadership responsibilities, informally or formally, in their current positions.

“Local area partners were also encouraged to choose emerging leaders who would ultimately bring diversity in race, gender, abilities, and gender identity to their leadership teams,” Duncan said. “They reflected the workforce of the future, where a broadening of ideas and experiences better allows the industry to recruit from a wide talent pool, truly demonstrating the commitment to being inclusive and diverse.”

The selection process was conducted in many different ways, from straightforward recommendations to applications and contests. Capital District SMACNA contractors and Local 83 JATC trustees stepped up the selection process a notch with an essay contest. Prospective attendees were asked to speak to their skills, strengths, community or industry work, and objectives for attending the conference. Six apprentices submitted essays, and each demonstrated the skills and ambitions the judges were looking for.

Jacek Wozniak is a contractor at MCD Metals in Albany, New York. He was involved in the essay selection process and felt that the emerging leaders program was a great new way to get new people interested in the conference and being involved.

“The essays were all good, and it was hard to choose just two,” he says. “In the two we chose, the style and structure were sound, and the contestants’ enthusiasm for the industry really came through.”

Dan Monahan, owner of JE Monahan, says of the three contractors and three JATC trustees judging the contest, everyone had their own ideas about who should be selected.

“We wanted to choose someone who wasn’t only an apprentice, but also someone who wanted to go above and beyond in the trade and the community. Those are the kinds of people who are driven. Several met that criteria, so it was difficult to pick.”

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In the end, Makenzie Loomis and Brett Bowegot the call.

Frank Maguire, business manager for Local 83, says the initiative was great for getting young people involved and prepared to advocate for good labor-management relationships.

He says Loomis has been very helpful in drawing interest to the sheet metal industry through her videos and posts on social media, demonstrating a day in the life of a sheet metal worker.

In her essay, Loomis said that the best way to fight for a spot in a non-traditional industry is to gain all the skills you possibly can, and this was one reason she wanted to attend the conference. She says she very much enjoyed herself because she was able to meet people in her line of work from across the country.

“I was excited to attend because I wanted to meet people face to face and learn more about opportunities in the sheet metal industry,” she says. “I made some nice friendships. I also spoke to some people about future interviews and helping with recruitment.”

Loomis joined the sheet metal industry because she was working on her welding career and loved that sheet metal allows people to work in full fabrication and build projects from the ground up.

One skill she brought home from the conference was better communication and the ability to network herself. “Not only does this skill help you grow in a career, but also it may help others,” she says. “My short-term goals are to specialize in welding and become a foreman. A long-term goal is to become the first female officer for our Local or maybe become the organizer.”

A moment from the conference she says she will take with her for the rest of her career was from DJ Allen’s talk during a breakout session titled Raising Rising Leaders. “He spoke about being a fan of others and encouraged us to cheer people on because it will truly bring you peace in your own life,” Loomis says.

Brett Bowe was chosen because he is a young, first-year apprentice and known throughout Local 83’s training center as someone who takes initiative and is good to work with. He also gives back to his community as a volunteer firefighter.

He wanted to attend Partners in Progress as a first-year apprentice because he thought it would provide a fresh perspective and allow him to connect with others at a similar place in their careers.

“I went to get to know people,” he says. “I got into my apprenticeship because my best friend was doing that and worked for his father. I wanted to start something new, and I am excited to see where I can go with it.”

Monahan believes the most important thing about the Emerging Leaders initiative was recognizing that young people are the industry’s future. He says they must be introduced to mentorship and leadership opportunities while they are just getting started.

“We can’t wait until they are set in their ways,” he says.

“Education is the primary factor. We need to start them early and help them understand that the industry is not about ʻus vs them’ but rather, about working together. If we educate them early, they can start to talk to their peers in their classes and help those ideas spread.”

He notes that recruitment efforts in school, for instance, may not be as effective if delivered by “a bunch of guys in their 50s, because the young people can’t relate.”

“But, if someone who is 25 years old presents, students will talk to them and feel understood,” he explains. “This enhances recruitment more than just pushing papers around on the table.”

2022 was Monahan’s first Partners in Progress Conference, and he says he appreciated the chance to get together with labor counterparts outside of a working environment and take the time to get to know them personally.

“It was good to talk about families and golf and be able to sit together at meals and talk and interact,” he says. “These were big takeaways on top of great presentations.”

Maguire says getting young people to the conference is important because many Baby Boomer members are preparing to retire, and many of the youth attending now will be the ones taking over.

“The apprentices who attended realized that union and signatory contractors are in this together,” he says. “We are all looking to secure work for the future and have our workforce trained so we can staff these jobs and help our contractors grow and profit.”

He adds there was a lot to take in at the conference, including highly inspirational speakers and sessions that provided insight on the current and future economy and the direction in which the industry should move to grow for the future.

“As a construction trade, we need to move forward to be more diverse, and some of the breakout sessions showed how our recruiting processes in the past will not work for the younger workforce we hope to attract,” Maguire says. “I have been around for a long time, beginning in 1995 as an apprentice instructor, and have seen changes periodically with the workforce coming into the trades.

“I know, based on our relationship with the Capital District SMACNA contractors, we all have adjusted over the years to accommodate each new generation when necessary, and we will continue to do so to attract the best workers for the future.” ▪ Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy, family-owned trade magazine creator representing some of North America’s most successful construction associations. She can usually be found among piles of paper in her home office or exploring British Columbia’s incredible wilderness.

Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 13

Partners by Design SMACNA Sacramento Valley and Local 104 represented their local area with more than 30 attendees at the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference.

Each Partners in Progress Conference encourages Locals and Chapters to attend together, learn together, and use the time for strengthening their relationships. Local areas take this advice in different ways. Local 280 and SMACNA-BC (and other organizations) sponsor apprentices and encourage employers to join them. SMACNA Kansas City and Local 2 attended in 2022 with their entire negotiation committee. It is not uncommon to find Capital District SMACNA and Local 83 or SMACNA-Western Washington and Local 66 seated together at breakfast or during speaker presentations. It is this kind of deliberate partnership-building action that makes a good team great.

Local 104 and SMACNA Sacramento Valley have been attending Partners in Progress for many years, always making the most of learning and networking opportunities together.

This year, they came through in spades, bringing more than 30 representatives from their combined local area.

Cheryl Sprague, executive vice president for SMACNA 14 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

Sacramento Valley, says the the group has been attending for at least the nine years she’s been on the board, probably longer.

“This event gives us the opportunity to meet and share ideas with our labor partners in an environment that is nonthreatening,” she says. “In other words, we aren’t competing or bargaining; we’re simply working together toward the common goal of strengthening our industry.”

Sal Rotolo, assistant business manager, District 2 in Local 104, agrees. The Local attended its first Partners in Progress event in 2010, and its members have always appreciated the opportunity to connect with their contractor peers.

“Partners in Progress provides a space and opportunity to collaborate with employers,” Rotolo says. “The classes and breakout sessions provide up-to-date information regarding the industry, and the conference serves to strengthen labormanagement relationships.”

Attendance is one thing, but rallying more than 30 participants from one area is a feat to be recognized. The chapter and

© Can Stock Photo / DinoZZZ

By Jessica Kirby  Photos courtesy of Local 104

local work together to boost participation numbers, and they accessed joint funds to help, starting with Labor Management Collaborative Trust (LMCT) funds, which are used to send apprentices that are selected by their instructors.

“Local 104 values and encourages participation working with our SMACNA partners,” Rotolo says. “The invitation is circulated internally to inspire involvement. We also partner with Sacramento SMACNA contractors regularly through our LMCT, and together we help facilitate apprentice participation.”

“The apprentices see it as an honor to be selected, and we work really hard at ensuring they are mentored and made to feel comfortable at the conference,” Sprague says. “This year, we also allowed the contractors to nominate emerging leaders from their companies.”

SMACNA Sacramento Valley encourages the employer to attend if their apprentice or emerging leader is one of the selected individuals, and the board of directors are all encouraged to attend, with the Chapter covering expenses.

“They understand the importance of having constructive social time with our bargaining partners and how those relationships benefit from this time together,” Sprague says.

At the conference, SMACNA Sacramento Valley and Local 104 usually plan a fun group outing for one of the free evenings.

This year, they went to a firing range where they learned about guns and ammo used in WWII and even fired a few rounds.

Afterward, they enjoyed a casual BBQ dinner.

“It might seem silly, but getting everyone away from the conference and off the strip to do something where we are learning and having fun together is invaluable and creates a unique bonding experience,” Sprague says.

Relationship building is something SMACNA Sacramento Valley and Local 104 frequently discuss at LMCT meetings.

They made funding Partners in Progress participation a high

priority, not only for the LMCT, but also for the SMACNA Chapter and Local. “Seeing that each group is fully invested and has made the event a priority is naturally inspiring to our members,” Sprague says. “The Chapter members take clues from our board of directors and staff. If they witness us working as a team and collaborating to strengthen the industry, they will instinctually follow suit.”

In other words, Chapter leadership has an opportunity to foster good will between labor and management, and that spirit of cooperation trickles down to members of both organizations.

At home, one way Local 104 and SMACNA Sacramento Valley foster a healthy relationship is through community service. “Stepping outside scheduled meetings to work side-byside on service projects promotes solidarity and collaboration,” Rotolo says. “When it comes time to meet again, the benefits of the time spent working in partnership are evident.”

The organizations work together on a number of other initiatives, including Women in Construction Week events, Trades Day and other events that promote the industry to high school students, Prison to Employment efforts in collaboration with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, and Be 4 All—a diversity, equity, and inclusion program. They also work together with the local governments on project labor agreements and workforce development.

“We share in the understanding that we are in this together, and together we thrive within the sheet metal industry,” Rotolo says. Collective efforts are the most effective route to gaining significant market share, Rotolo says.

“It is essential that we work together,” he says. “It is the responsibility of SMART to provide the finest, most efficient employees, and the responsibility of SMACNA to provide the finest, most efficient place of employment.”

Sprague agrees, “We are all in this together. Period. When the industry is strong, we all benefit.”

Both concur that if management is working on increasing marketshare or moving into new market sectors, contractors will eventually hit a wall in their efforts if those efforts don’t include their labor partners.

“How are they to know what we’re trying to do if we exclude them from our decision making?” Sprague says. “If we communicate what we’re trying to do and can demonstrate the benefits of it, odds are pretty good we’ll get the cooperation we need from the Local. They truly want to see the employers succeed because, just like our businesses can’t thrive without them, their members can’t thrive without us.” ▪ Jessica Kirby is editor-publisher for Point One Media, a small but sturdy, family-owned trade magazine creator representing some of North America’s best construction associations.

Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 15

© Can Stock Photo / bizoon

PROJECT 150

SMACNA & SMART gave generously to help disadvantaged high schoolers in Nevada Words & Photos by Joye Blanscett Director of Labor Relations, SMACNA

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The chosen charity for the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference was Project 150. It was created out of the community’s desire to help more than 6,000 homeless youth in Nevada who are attending high school and struggling to secure the basics, like food, clothing, and school supplies. Project 150’s mission is to offer support and services to homeless high school students, so they have what they need to continue school and be successful in life.

SMACNA and SMART stepped up in a big way. Kelli Kristo, executive director of Project 150, thanked the entire SMART-SMACNA family for the generous donation of funds and goods.

“Your contribution of $25,425 in funding and $8,300 in food provided 1,349 family meal bags, which includes family sized non-perishable breakfast, lunch, and dinner items to feed a family of four,” she said.

Thank you to the following organizations and individuals who donated cash:

Donations of goods made by the below organizations and individuals were also appreciated:

SMART Local Union 104

$5,104.00

SMART Int’l & SMACNA Nat’l

$5,000.00

SMACNA - Western Washington

$2,556.54

SMART Local 36

$1,450.00

SMACNA

$2,500.00

Local #7 / Michigan Chapter SMACNA

$1,000.00

SMACNA of Southern Nevada

$2,500.00

SMART Local 33

$2,500.00

SMART Local 265 LMCC

$2,265.00

SMART Local 73 LMCC

$2,045.30

SMACNA of Long Island

$2,000.00

Georgia SMACNA

$1,022.80

SMART Local 105

$1,000.00

Western Allied Mechanical

$511.55

SMART Local 219

$500.00

Vidimos, Inc.

$204.81

SMART

$153.68

KSM Metal Fabrication

$102.56

SMART Local 2

$102.56

XP360

$102.56

Miller Bonded Inc.

$102.56

Big B Contracting Inc.

$102.56

SMACNA

$51.43

SMART Local 105

$51.43

SMART Local 71

$50.00

SMACNA Utah

$50.00

SMACNA St. Louis

$500.00

SMACNA Sacramento

$256.40

Cheryl Sprague

$50.00

Joye Blanscett

$50.00

Food donations were received by Project 150 following the conference and amounted to more than three pallets of food.

Partners in Progress would like to thank everyone involved for their generous donations.

If you missed the chance to donate at the conference and you would still like to help, visit project150.org to find out how.

Project 150 was organized in December 2011 and is a 501(c)3 non-profit charitable organization. It was created when the founders learned of 150 homeless high school students at Rancho High School in Las Vegas. The students were in need of support over the Christmas Break, and the program has grown steadily ever since, now serving over 3,000 registered homeless and 3,100 non-registered homeless youth. ▪

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Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 17

It's a tough pill to swallow, but Dushaw Hockett believes recognizing this in ourselves is a positive step forward for the industry

By Natalie Bruckner “Right now, your hidden brain is doing many more things than your conscious brain could attend to with the same efficiency. The brain sacrifices sophistcation to achieve speed.

If you missed the spelling error in the last sentence, it is because your hidden brain rapidly approximated the correct meaning of “sophistication” and moved on.”

—Shankar Vedantam, The Hidden Brain

We all have implicit bias: you, the person next to you, your colleagues, even your family and close friends. You just might not know it yet.

This statement may seem antagonistic, especially considering SMACNA and SMART have been working so hard to fight for equality and collaboration in the industry. But according to Dushaw Hockett, founder and executive director of Safe Places for the Advancement of Community and Equity (SPACEs) who equips leaders with skills in the area of bias reduction and bias interruption, “Having implicit bias doesn’t make us bad people. It makes us human!”

So what exactly is implicit bias? During the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference in Las Vegas, Hockett presented a talk on this very subject during the session entitled, Bias and Belonging. He describes implicit bias as “a preference for or prejudice [or aversion] against a person or group of people, and one that operates outside of our conscious awareness.”

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Hockett says implicit biases are triggered through rapid and automatic metal association of other groups of people, and he says they are both social and structural (i.e., TV, news, friends, family, radio).

Bias is a subject that the construction industry has been working to overcome for many years now—tackling issues of gender, generation, and race—but Hockett says implicit bias goes much deeper than that. “The science of implicit bias says that you can be a school administrator, for example, and say that you are deeply committed to nurturing and building up young people, and yet be the same school administrator who leads your school in high rates of suspensions and expulsions of young people. And both of those things would be true.

Consciously, you’re deeply committed to building young people up. Unconsciously, you’re doing harm in the process.”

To better understand implicit bias in the sheet metal industry, Hockett says we need to look at the three characteristics that make a bias implicit.

Characteristic number one is that implicit biases operate at the subconscious level, outside of conscious awareness. “We don’t know that we have them, and they can’t be accessed through introspection. In other words, the science of implicit bias says that none of us can sit here in this room right now, scratch our heads, and wonder out loud, ‘Do I have a bias against men, against women, against Black people, against white people, against immigrants?’ and expect to accurately answer that question. Because the nature of an implicit bias is such that we don’t know that we have them,” he says.

© Can Stock Photo / karelnoppe

Overcoming Implicit Bias

“Ultimately, bias reduction work is not just about reducing harm—it’s about the helping us to be more effective on the job, improving relationships, and improving team performance.”

Studies back this idea up, as they have shown that the human brain can only consciously process around 40 items per second, but as many as 11 million unconsciously.

Characteristic number two, says Hockett, is that implicit biases often run contrary to our conscious stated beliefs about who we are as human beings and what our values are. He cites one example as someone who may be consciously committed to a cause, such as gender equality in the workplace, but unconsciously think that the women in the industry have different skills—they may feel women are great, say, in the office, but not so great out in the field. Even if you find yourself hiring on a gut feeling, you’re unconsciously hiring based in bias.

The third characteristic that makes a bias implicit is that it is triggered through rapid and automatic mental associations that we make between people, ideas, and objects, and attitudes and the stereotypes that we hold about those things.

A big problem with implicit bias in the workplace, explains Hockett, is that it can be extremely damaging: on the more obvious level it can result in lawsuits, but on a more subtle level, it affects morale, productivity, and retention—a person may be alienated and feel like their voice isn’t being heard.

That can even impact recruitment efforts. Research has shown that some of the words used in job postings can play into the unconscious biases of people in the job market. Job ads encouraging women and millennials to apply, for instance, implicitly discourages others to apply.

Once implicit bias has been recognized, Hockett says there is a tendency to engage in self-shaming. “[People tend to think] this is who I am. I’m a horrible human being. There’s nothing I can do about it. I’m going to always be this way.” But that attitude, he explains, is self-defeating.

The great news is, implicit biases can be changed and unlearned. “It’s about taking preventative rather than reactive strategies,” he says. “If we want to move to a better place we have to pay attention to implicit bias.”

To outsmart our own bias, Hockett says commitment is needed from the top, and SMACNA and SMART are doing just that. Last year, Joseph Sellers, general president of SMART, released a joint statement with SMACNA’s Angela Simon that said: “One of the biggest problems we face is unconscious bias, which is prevalent and extends into training, and it must be dealt with. So, when SMACNA approached us to set up a joint diversity and inclusion task force, we were eager to participate.”

The joint effort also included the CEOs of the Mechanical

Contractors Association of America (MCAA), the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), the presidents of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) and The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).

As part of this commitment, SMACNA and SMART are developing, with the help of experts, a coordinated strategic plan with long-term and short-term objectives that will be evaluated and adjusted as necessary.

The unified goal is to shift the mindset of management, labor leaders and respective memberships to recruit, welcome, and retain the most competent and skilled workforce available while embracing differences in age, ability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, national origin, language, marital status, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, and other characteristics that make individuals unique.

Hockett says efforts to learn more about the types of biases like this helps identify and interrupt them, but that everyday practices can also undo implicit bias. “The first step to overcoming implicit bias is to slow down the pace with which we engage with other people that are different than we are.

This removes ambiguity,” he says.

Other great exercises that can be practiced in the workplace to undo implicit bias include “seeking out opportunities for intergroup contact and to alter your perspective by finding ways to walk in the shoes of the other,” Hockett says. “Seek out opportunities for intergroup contact that are friendly versus hostile; intimate versus superficial; sustained versus oneshot deal. Then, to better understand someone, read a book by or about someone from a marginalized group, and watch documentaries and TV shows or movies based on true stories.

All these are preventative strategies rather than reactive strategies.”

Ultimately, bias reduction work is not just about reducing harm—it’s about the helping us to be more effective on the job, improving relationships, and improving team performance. A win-win-win, really.

“Taking an implicit bias approach like this changes the central question from, ‘Are you racist or not racist, are you sexist or not sexist?’ An implicit bias approach makes the central question, ‘How do we align our actions and behaviors with our consciously held egalitarian beliefs?’ Or at least for those people who do hold egalitarian beliefs, and my belief is that many people do,” Hockett concludes. ▪ Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog.

Partners in Progress » March / April 2022 » 19

MY JOURNEY: RALLIN HARRIS

Project Manager for Energy Balance and Integration I chose the mechanical/sheet metal trade after being exposed to it during my internship with Energy Balance and Integration while in engineering school. I began the internship with no prior knowledge of the industry, but I quickly began to appreciate its importance, as well as its complexity. After my internship, I was brought on full time. At the University of New Mexico, I earned my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2017 and a master’s degree in mechanical engineering in 2019. I became a certified ICB/TABB TABB technician and an ICB/TABB certified fire and smoke damper technician in June 2020, and I became a journeyman sheet metal worker after completing my apprenticeship in 2021.

In the traditional sense, I did my training in reverse.

My employer at Energy Balance & Integration (EB&I) encouraged me to take the apprenticeship for two reasons: so I could understand sheet metal and do my job as a project manager better and to gain the respect of the people I help throughout the day. Sometimes I tell them what to do and how to proceed, and sometimes they tell me what to do and where we can improve. Having gone through the same program they went through helps us both and benefits our relationship.

Besides changing people’s mindset about me, going through the apprenticeship has been instrumental in what I do day in and day out. In some ways, entering the apprenticeship program as an engineer made things easier. The math, for instance, was easy for me, but understanding how to take a 2D drawing and then building a 3D piece of duct out of it was a new challenge.

My favorite aspect of my job and my part in the industry is problem solving. What I found most enjoyable about engineering school was working through complex problems with set variables. I was very fortunate to find an industry in where I get to use the skills I developed in engineering school every day.

Breaking out of the silo of just being an engineer made my career so much better. In our communications at work, we implement everything that the engineer sees in theory on paper. So, in testing, adjusting, and balancing, you go in and make sure that all the engineer has calculated and accounted for adds up. In the way we communicate with the engineers, I feel like I bring something to the table because I have a similar background, so I can see where they’re coming from. The sheet metal background allows me to see the practical implications 20 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

Photo courtesy of Sheralyn Belyeau

of those theories and how they can or cannot be translated to the field. That is one of the many satisfying facets of my job.

I encourage young people to give sheet metal a shot. The sheet metal industry is one of growth and tremendous progress, and it has many career paths for people from all walks of life and different backgrounds. Although I do come from an academic background, I can say that going through the sheet metal apprenticeship program at Local 49 taught me the value of education outside college. College is not for everyone, and there are many great educational and career opportunities in trades like the sheet metal industry that can lead to success and fulfillment.

My most important takeaway from the Partners in Progress Conference was from Captain Abashoff’s talk about his experience as commander of the USS Benfold. He challenged each of his sailors to do things 1% better as, after all, it was their ship. As project manager for EB&I, I aspire to be better every day in supporting my technicians in the field and assisting them as best as I can. I know that it’s our ship here at EB&I, and the betterment of that ship relies on us within it. But it’s also our ship in the larger terms of the sheet metal industry, and if we can stand out to our clients and owners, then we can further push the excellence of our great industry, as well as our labor-management relationships. ▪

Recruiting Resources Available YOUR MESSAGE.

YOUR VOICE.   

SELECT YOUR CAMPAIGN. CUSTOMIZE TO YOUR LOCAL. GET MATERIALS DELIVERED.

START SHOPPING

Put the SMACNA/SMART Resource Center to Work for You The SMACNA/SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force has developed recruiting resources for contractors, chapters, locals, and JATCs that can be used to supplement and support local recruiting efforts. The resources include posters, handouts, and flyers for guidance counselors, parents, and students.

The materials are designed in multiple versions and languages (English and Spanish) and are customizable so that local groups can get their message out and appeal to the largest talent pool possible.

The Partners in Progress Online Ordering System allows you to customize materials for your area and order recruiting and brand ambassador resources.

Login to pinp.org/resources/recruiting and start shopping for resources today.

For more details on these and other resources visit pinp.org

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