BEHIND THE SCENES

The Partners in Progress Conference provides a level playing field, but it's no easy task to pull it together

By / Natalie Bruckner

The room is silent, and yet the buzz in the air from what just went down over the past few days still hangs in the room. It’s February 26, 2020, and the Partners in Progress conference has wrapped up after a successful two days in Las Vegas. New friendships were made, new ideas were explored, and bonds were strengthened.

In a world that today seems rife with division, the Partners in Progress Conference is a place where differences are put aside and faith in the success of the sheet metal industry is restored.

“When you can sit down across the table from one another and have thoughtful, rational conversations about topics, it’s much easier to get to a win-win result in negotiations,” says Local 280’s Business Manager/FST, Richard Mangelsdorf, who attended the conference. “It’s so important to see the success other Locals have achieved, and that’s what we get to experience at the conference. It’s hard to doubt the philosophy when you see it working in real life and hear the stories happening elsewhere across North America.”

There’s no denying that in-person conferences have an innate ability to build trust. A study by Harvard Review found that 95 percent of people believe face-to-face conferences are a key factor in successfully building and maintaining long-term business relationships. Researchers say they are 34 times more successful than emails or Zoom calls.

That’s the reason the SMACNA-SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force (BPMETF) works so hard to pull these conferences together—not an easy feat, although you wouldn’t know it in attendance with everything running so smoothly.

The work that goes on behind the scenes to build the conference is impressive—and exhausting. As soon as one conference wraps up, the team barely has time to sit and reflect before their work begins again. “The process for the next conference starts almost immediately after the one conference is finished,” says Vince Alvarado, Local 49 business manager and a BPMETF member.

A considerable amount of time and thought goes into picking topics that would best benefit members and attendees, and what will bring most value.

“We, as leaders, need to invest in our next generation of leaders. This is a great opportunity to show them that we believe in them, and we are willing to invest in their future.” —Carol Duncan, owner of General Sheet Metal and Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force chairperson.

“The BPMETF begins with a committee meeting and then the theme ideas are developed in smaller groups, followed by robust, engaging conversations until we land on a theme that will be relevant, inspirational, and engaging,” says Carol Duncan, CEO and owner of General Sheet Metal and BPMETF co-chair. “Topics and speakers are developed in a similar way.”

“We begin by looking at what is going on in the country and start looking for speakers who would be able to bring light to and discuss these subjects,” Alvarado says. “There is a lot of research involved.”

It’s a veritable jigsaw puzzle to piece it all together, and then there are challenges with speaker availability, finding a suitable venue, and getting the word out to potential attendees.

But the payoff is worth all those sleepless nights because the general consensus by attendees is, “That was great! When is the next one? I will be there!”

Mangelsdorf considers the conference imperative for building the sheet metal industry, increasing awareness and transparency, and solidifying relationships between SMACNA contractors and SMART craftspersons. “I think the hardest thing in our industry is the trust relationship. Everything hinges on it, and as soon as one side breaks trust and takes advantage of the other side, everything goes back to square one. We need to continue to drive home how important that is by embedding it into the numerous workshops and topics.”

Conference attendee Ken Wiesbrook, vice-president at Wiesbrook Sheet Metal and past-president of SMACNA Greater Chicago, agrees, adding that nothing quite beats face-to-face interactions. “It’s imperative that SMACNA and SMART get along, so I am all for anything that can help that relationship,” he says. “Our partners attended the conference in Las Vegas, and we got to spend time with them. For me, that was so important because we got to know them outside of the office. It humanizes everybody.”

While the benefits of the conference are clear, the BPMETF currently faces the challenge of attracting attendees beyond the “regulars.”

“We need to rid ourselves of the country club mentality. Our generation [Baby Boomers] are at fault, as we tend to look at younger people and think they don’t know anything, but we need to get more youth and women involved. They are the future leaders in our industry,” Alvarado says.

Duncan agrees, saying that it can be hard to pull people away from their day jobs, especially for the younger people who need the support of their supervisor, employer, or union to attend. “We, as leaders, need to invest in our next generation of leaders. This is a great opportunity to show them that we believe in them, and we are willing to put a stake in their future,” she says.

Not an easy task, but Alvarado has some ideas up his sleeve. “As far as Local 49 is concerned, we are restructuring who runs for office to get young people involved and to speak the language of Millennials and Gen Z. We need to find ways to sponsor young up-and-coming individuals to attend the conference, as they will truly benefit from it. It’s something I will be discussing at our next JATC meeting.”

For Makenzie Loomis, second year apprentice with Local 83, that is music to her ears. She says she would jump at the chance to attend or be involved with the conference. She believes that bringing generations together and involving minorities is key to the industry’s future. But of course, money and time are major considerations for the younger workforce.

With just five months to go until the 2022 Partners In Progress Conference at the Resorts World Las Vegas, it’s all systems go for the Task Force. So, what can we expect from the next conference? Duncan offers us a teaser: “We have two fantastic keynote speakers: former MLB pitcher Jim Abbott and retired Naval Commander Mike Abrashoff. Abrashoff is a leadership and teamwork expert, and Abbott overcame his disability to make it to the major league despite being born without a right hand,” she says. “Attending the conference might require a mind shift in understanding that the value is everywhere, from the sessions to casual engagements and new relationships . . . and that one idea or introduction can change a person, a company, and even an industry.”

Visit pinp.org/conferences/2022pinp to register and to learn more about the 2022 Partners in Progress Conference: Building the Future Together. ▪

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.