MEET THE BOARD MEET THE BOARD: MICHAEL DEAN DIRECTOR, SMACNA-SOCAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS Michael Dean, co-owner and vice president of operations of AireMasters Air Conditioning, might be a new director on the SMACNA-SoCal board, but with more than four decades in the sheet metal industry, he is anything but new to the game. Dean, who is also Long Beach City College Welding & Metal Fab Advisory Board Member, knew from a young age that the construction industry was his calling. “My father was an LAPD sergeant and had a friend who was already in the trade,” Dean says. “Both my father and his friend suggested I look into becoming a sheet metal journeyman. At the time, I had no idea what a sheet metal journeyman was, but when I heard about the pay, I was very interested.” He started out as a sheet metal apprentice and has held many different positions since. “After finishing the apprenticeship program, I became a journeyman, and not long after I ended up becoming a foreman at AireMasters Air Conditioning,” Dean says. AireMasters Air Conditioning specializes in HVAC and general contracting in schools and public works, private projects, VRF specialty applications, HVAC controls, and design-build projects. “Following that, I became a board detailer, CAD/BIM detailer, and eventually a general superintendent.” While holding these positions, Dean taught AutoCAD at night for the Los Angeles JATC, a position that led to him working for the training center full-time as a coordinator for over six years. “After my time at the JATC, I decided it was time to go back to AireMasters, and I was hired as a project manager,” Dean says. “About nine years ago, I was given the opportunity to buy into the company and receive a promotion. I accepted this opportunity and took on my current position as an owner and vice president of operations.” Dean looks to former Laker’s owner Jerry Buss’s advice on business philosophy: “Hire good people and let them do their job.”
“This quote is a great way to look at running a business and managing people,” Dean says. “Give people room to do their best, but also motivate those people to always strive to be even better.” He says the greatest challenge the industry has faced over the years has been getting good people in both the office and the field. “The modern US education system makes a big mistake in defining success only as a college degree and making the youth unaware of the great opportunities available in the trades,” Dean says. “It’s nice to see a good mixture of both college-educated and trade-educated people in this industry.” The biggest change the industry has seen over the years is the introduction of battery-powered tools, which have led to fewer tangled and damaged cords scattered all over job sites, making for safer work areas. The biggest opportunity for the future will be adapting and modernizing more efficient equipment, processes, and operations. “The pandemic has really given the industry a much-needed push toward being more web-based, and I foresee this being a trend into the future,” Dean says. “Being able to send over more electronic bids than ever, instead of hand-delivering, is an example that has personally helped my team devote more time to other projects.” Through it all, SMACNA has an important role to play, supporting businesses with education, labor price control, and fellowship between owners and managers. “I believe SMACNA-SoCal is a very well run, effective, and forward-thinking organization,” Dean says. “I am confident that my own personal experience and knowledge of the industry will help to keep that going.” ▪
PUBLISHER / EDITOR
Industry Reporter
SPRING 2021
Jessica Kirby Direct: 250.816.3671 jessica.kirby@pointonemedia.com
CREATIVES Lara Perraton 877.755.2762 lperraton@pointonemedia.com
CONTRIBUTORS GES Sheet Metal Inc. Women in Construction: Carmen Koo
Natalie Bruckner Robin Brunet Hector Vargas
COVER PHOTO Courtesy of GES Sheet Metal, Inc.
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