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. ▪