Partners in Progress Vol 14 No 9

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

In the face of crisis, the iTi perseveres ...

September 2020

PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together

JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. ANGELA SIMON Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief

7 CONTENTS

September 2020 - Volume 14, Number 9

JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services

3

PARTNER, PERSEVERE, AND PIVOT

developing new markets.

4

PUSHING THROUGH

Not even a crisis can keep the iTi down. Taking courses online was the ideal solution during the COVID-19 lockdown.

7

ROBERT DAK: MY JOURNEY

hard for the sheet metal industry.

8

DEVELOPING NEW MARKET OPPORTUNITIES

Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available and printed copies may be ordered for a minimal fee.

excellent labor-management partnerships.

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

SMACNA and SMART take all the right steps in facing adversity and

From apprentice to award-winning instructor, Bob Dak has always worked

What does it take to develop new markets? Know-how, expertise, and

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

All contents ©2020 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211.

10 PIVOTING DURING A CRISIS

When times are tough, changing direction can be difficult. SMACNA and

SMART work together to persevere.

12 STRIVE TO SUCCEED Labor-management partners have extra time to plan a shared goal and

earn $1,500 towards a joint marketing effort.

14 ENERGY TO THRIVE For a partnership to succeed, it’s all resources on deck for the signatory

sheet metal industry.

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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

© Can Stock Photo / focalpoint

Partner, Persevere, and Pivot:

Keys to Success in New Markets

The decision to break into a new market is seldom an easy one. It requires a significant amount of market research to identify the potential customer base, assess the risks and benefits, and develop a marketing plan to achieve objectives.

This edition of Partners in Progress emphasizes three other key factors for success in new market development: the ability and willingness to pivot and adapt, perseverance in the face of adversity, and the importance of finding the right partner to help that process reach its full potential.

Previous issues of Partners in Progress have focused on the significant changes that contractors and sheet metal workers have had to embrace to work post-COVID. Meeting those challenges has required perseverance and commitment to new ways of thinking. This issue shares more examples of the same.

“Pivot” used to be a word that was generally used to describe the center point of a mechanical rotating system or a movement in basketball in which the player with the ball can move in any direction with one foot while the other foot remains in contact with the floor. Increasingly, it has morphed into a popular buzzword to describe shifting a business strategy.

A business may need to pivot to compete in a new market or to address a change that makes some aspect of the current business model unworkable. Doing so requires perseverance because thinking outside the box is seldom painless.

“Pushing Through” on page 4 details the quick adaptation the International Training Institute (iTi) took in switching its curriculum to online learning to ensure that training in the sheet metal industry carried on despite COVID-19 lockdown orders.

This month’s “My Journey” (page 7) features Robert Dak, whose outstanding career led him from apprentice and journeyman air balancer to contractor to award-winning TABB instructor. Through it all, he stayed the course in doing the best he could for the industry.

A sobering statistic is that for every successful market entry by a business, four will likely fail. In “Developing New Market Opportunities” on page 8, industry experts share their perspectives on the critical need for SMACNA contractors and SMART Locals to leverage their partnerships to enhance their odds for success. SMACNA contractor leaders stress that when entering a new market, their entire team needs to be on board, and they explain that their labor partners are a critical part of the team.

“Pivoting During a Crisis” (page 10) provides more great industry examples of how SMACNA contractors and SMART Locals relied on teamwork, perseverance, and partnerships to enact changes post-COVID-19 allowing them to meet tight

deadlines on challenging projects while ensuring the safety of their workers.

Need help building your local labor-management partnership to enter new markets or to successfully pivot to meet changing conditions? Turn to page 12 to learn the details of the Partners in Progress labor-management Strive to Succeed challenge, and learn the four simple actions that SMART Locals and SMACNA chapters can do to earn a $1,500 grant to apply to a future joint marketing effort. It’s as simple as meeting virtually or in person, agreeing on a joint goal, developing an action plan, and reporting the progress to pinp@smacna.org by February 28, 2021.

Did you know that SMART and SMACNA have a jointly sponsored entity devoted entirely to developing programs to create or expand opportunities in emerging markets, news technologies, and advances in manufacturing and construction processes in the sheet metal industry? The “Energy to Thrive” article (page 14) details the exceptional work and services the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) offers to help labor-management partnerships. See page 15 for a list of available NEMI certifications and the accomplishments of SMART Locals 105 and 88 that earned them 2020 Industry Awards.

Partners in Progress is always looking for new market success stories. Please share those successes with press@ pinpmagazine.org so we may cover them in future editions and so others in the industry can learn from your good ideas. ▪

Did you attend the latest webinar on the SMACNA/ SMART Best Practices Mark Expansion Task Force Recruiting Resources? If not, you can find a link to the presentation and recording in the members-only Recruiting section under Resources at pinp.org. The final webinar is scheduled for Nov. 17.

Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 3

PUSHINGTHROUGH The International Training Institute showed commitment and perseverance when it took its courses online during the COVID-19 lockdown.

By / Robin Brunet

© Can Stock Photo / Amorphis

© Can Stock Photo / Vidakovic

In March, the International Training Institute (iTi) was busy providing a full roster of Train-the-Trainer courses to American and Canadian instructors at training facilities across the United States when governments imposed the COVID-19 lockdown measures.

But instead of being stymied by the shelter-in-place orders, the Virginia-based iTi unhesitatingly switched its entire curriculum to online learning, and the signatory sheet metal workers that comprise its instructor pool continued to gain the skills they needed to train a new generation of talent.

Anyone who has been involved in developing online learning courses will attest that a delivery shift of this scale doesn’t come easily, especially in an industry in which so much training consists of fieldwork.

But Michael Harris, iTi’s program administrator, says everything is running smoothly. “We are currently offering 11 week-long classes and five more are scheduled for the end of the year, all of them using live instructors,” he said. “We’ve also launched evening distance learning classes on various topics for members who are employed during the day.”

This was in addition to the self-paced online learning catalogue that iTi already had in place, with classes ranging from Trimble Total Station tutorials to foreperson training.

The iTi is jointly sponsored by SMART and SMACNA, and its Director of Research, Development, and Technology Ronald McGuire says the organization has always enjoyed positive labor-management relationships. “We have a long history of collaboration, and because we’re able to find out what contractors are doing in the east, in the west, and in other countries, we’re able to advance our curriculum—including the online classes,” he says. iTi caters to over 73,000 journey-level workers and approximately 14,000 apprentices who perform work in architectural sheet metal, Building Information Modeling, HVAC, roofing, industrial welding, and other industry sectors.

The organization provides and maintains training and retraining programs, conducts Train-the-Trainer programs, develops and distributes training materials, and investigates and monitors changing technology and specialty fields in order to meet evolving industry demands.

Even prior to the pandemic, the iTi was determined to stay ahead of the curve and spent years developing and implementing self-paced online learning modules. “More recently, we delved into online courses taught live by instructors,” Harris says.

The benefits of shifting online were readily apparent.

In 2019, McGuire told Harris that he wanted to shorten the software class durations in the iTi’s brick and mortar Las Vegas training facility from five to three in-person days. This would reduce the need for instructors to commute from different parts of the continent. “We used CAD learning software to make this happen, which includes several hours of online video content on a number of Autodesk products,” he says. “In addition to less commuting for instructors, we realized the amount of money saved by going online would give iTi more opportunities to expand in the long run.”

And then came March, when the COVID lockdowns kicked iTi’s exploration of remote learning into high gear. “We scrambled to develop webinars and distance learning classes to replace the scheduled in-person classes,” Harris says. Inperson courses were reworked into five-day, online webinars with two two-hour sessions held daily.

It took a mere three days to convert the first workshop. “We’d already been using online platforms, the material was there, so all we had to do was ensure that everyone was comfortable using the technology,” Harris says.

Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 5

Pushing Through

© Can Stock Photo / Vidakovic

“Strange times provide strange opportunities, and COVID threw us headlong down the distance learning path,” says Michael Harris, iTi’s program administrator. “Not all of our online offerings will be retained when the pandemic ends, but many components will remain and strengthen our service abilities. We’re proud of how everybody has pulled together to make this happen.”

Tim Myres, administrator of Local 104 and the Bay Area Industry Training Fund in San Leandro, California, notes that the four different training facilities he presides over as a JATC administrator were ready to go online within several weeks.

“We worked intensely with instructors to develop their online skills, and they practiced on each other,” he says.

But what about the quality of the classes? Harris points out that distance learning’s strengths and weaknesses were quickly revealed. “Computer classes involving AutoCAD, BIM, and other technologies are great online because under normal circumstances the instructors deliver the class in front of a projection screen anyway,” he says.

On the negative side were courses like welding. “We couldn’t figure out how to deliver the hands-on portion effectively,” Harris says. “The skill of welding absolutely demands an inthe-shop setting. So, we had to cancel these classes, and we can’t wait to return to them.”

McGuire adds, “Our 3D scanning and robotic tool courses are hands-on by nature and simply can’t be transferred to the online realm effectively.” iTi intends for the necessary hands-on instruction to resume as soon as the pandemic is under control. Otherwise, “Maybe we can teach theory online for some of the classes and augment them with videos,” McGuire says.

The advantages of online have outweighed the disadvantages, and Myres points out that tweaking the content is possible due to Local 104’s outstanding group of instructors. “We’re tweaking constantly, and I’ve gotten into the habit of jumping into classes unannounced to solicit feedback from our apprentices,” he says. “They really drill down into what works and what doesn’t.”

Myres credits the iTi for providing the Local with the needed tools and equipment to complete the training. “Thanks to the Institute, we were able to purchase iPads for all of our apprentices,” he says, referring to a reimbursement program for JATCs that gets devices into the hands of apprentices in the latter years of their program. This ensures everyone is working on the same platform, which makes it easier for instructors to manage their classes.

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One of the many beneficiaries of the iTi’s online component is Michael Aguon, 35, a father of three who joined Local 104 in 2017 and is a service technician at Environmental System Inc. in Santa Clara, California. “The in-person courses I took were great for building my skills, to the point where it was noticed by my colleagues,” he says. “However, the online component is just as effective in its own right. I’ve learned an amazing amount in a short time, helped along by the fact that I can replay the instructional videos again and again at my choosing.”

Aguon is confident that the online learning he will receive for the remaining two years of his apprenticeship will propel him further towards his goal of “rising in the ranks.”

“I got into this industry because of my father-in-law and his son, and they’re both impressed by the quality of instruction I’m receiving,” he says.

Moving beyond the pandemic, McGuire regards the iTi’s online curriculum as the perfect complement to advances the Institute is making in other areas of instruction. “For example, in our quest to stay on top of technology, we’re getting deeper into virtual reality and currently offer virtual reality for aerial lift training as well as HVACR service training,” he says. “Our students grew up as gamers, so the infusion of tech makes our trade enticing.”

At the end of the day, and despite the challenges imposed by the lockdowns, Harris remains impressed by the way the iTi expanded its online presence. “Strange times provide strange opportunities, and COVID threw us headlong down the distance learning path,” he says. “Not all of our online offerings will be retained when the pandemic ends, but many components will remain and strengthen our service abilities.

We’re proud of how everybody has pulled together to make this happen.” ▪ Robin Brunet’s journalism has been published in over 150 magazines, newspapers, websites, and other media across Canada and the United States since 1982. He is also the best-selling author of two books: Red Robinson: The Last Deejay and Let’s Get Frank, as well as the upcoming The Last Broadcast.

ROBERT DAK: MY JOURNEY Retired

In 1974, I got into Local 250’s five-year apprenticeship program. I worked at Elsters for 1.5 years and the next 15 years at Aire Rite in start-up and controls.

In 1983, I was sent to check out a fire at a Seafood Boiler restaurant. I found that the wrong heaters had been installed on the makeup air (MUA) units. The big MUA unit starter had the small MUA unit heaters installed, and the small MUA unit had the large heaters installed, causing the large MUA unit to trip. This put the kitchen into a negative pressure condition— so negative that air was sucked into the kitchen though the hot water heater flue. This caused flames to roll out, which caused the fire. Afterwards, Del Allen, the owner of the Seafood Broiler restaurant chain required a certified air balance on his restaurants. I studied and learned the necessary material and procedures and got certified with NEBB in 1983. In the late 1980s and early 1990s I started my own business as a certified signatory air balance company.

In 1997, I joined Local 102 and was hired to teach. While teaching part-time, I also started getting certified in all the disciplines offered and attending all the TABB conferences.

Since I knew that the best qualified union could claim jurisdiction, I got all the certifications offered. Once certified, I was also willing to teach all the disciplines.

I started teaching part-time at Local 102 in Garden Grove.

Then, I was asked to teach at Local 105 in City of Industry.

Once at Local 105, Jim Page, Darrel Garrison, and NEMI asked me to teach at the TABB conferences and in Las Vegas. I kept all of my certifications current, I proctored, I taught part-time,

and I remained working in the field. At the TABB conferences, I met many good friends. Whenever I had a question, I would call the wizards: Tim Perry and Pat Pico. They were always available, even to this day.

As a balancer, I worked with Steve Penn at an air balancing company and with Curtis Moran at ACCO for 17 years. I ran jobs, commissioned buildings, verified Fire Life Safety, pioneered Title 24, and always did whatever it took to get the job done correctly. In October 2019, I retired. In 2020 I was awarded the TABB Hall of Fame Award. Again. I have a great deal of thanks for everyone who supported me and all the people I worked with over the years. ▪

Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 7

Developing New Market Opportunities

By / Jordan Whitehouse  Photos courtesy of The Waldinger Corporation About four years ago, Cleveland-based contractor T.H. Martin had its eye on an HVAC project at the new Highland Springs assisted living centre and hospital in Beachwood, Ohio. The job would be worth over a million dollars, and it would help T.H. Martin enter a new market it was itching to get a piece of. The only potential problem, says company President Tom Martin, Jr., was that they wouldn’t be able to secure it if they couldn’t negotiate a competitive labor rate with Local 33.

Thankfully, everything worked out, as Martin and Local 33 Business Manager Mike Coleman had developed a strong working relationship over the years. “We would never have reached the number we needed if we didn’t have that relationship,” says Martin. And the result was not only a profitable final project and the employment of six to eight sheet metal workers over six months, but both T.H. Martin 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

and Local 33 had a clear example of the benefits of working together to target a new market.

Successfully entering a new market isn’t just about relationship-building, of course. Economists and strategists generally agree that factors such as timing, scale relative to the competition, and the ability to leverage complimentary assets also play big parts. Even with all of these factors lined up, it’s believed that for every successful market entry, about four fail.

In the signatory sheet metal industry, the best way to reduce risk is to have a strong relationship.

“Anytime you venture into a new area or tackle a new market, you need to have your entire team onboard to make it successful, and our labor partners are a critical part of that team,” says Western Allied Mechanical CEO and SMACNA President Angie Simon.

“We would have never got to the number we needed to if we didn’t have that relationship [with Local 33],” says T.H. Martin President Tom Martin, Jr.

So, how do you get the two sides onboard and working together? It all comes down to trust, says Mike Coleman, SMART International assistant to the general president and labor co-chair of the SMART-SMACNA Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force. “That’s important so that labor can get the true perspective of employers and employers can get the true perspective from us. That only comes from sharing a high level of trust.”

Building that trust takes time, however, says Martin.

Sometimes you have to start slow, which may mean that you don’t initially address the topic of new markets. “Just find some general 30,000-foot initiatives you can work on together —networking events, political events, those types of things. If you’re talking and meeting bi-monthly or whatever, eventually you’re going to start drilling into, ‘Hey, where can we maybe work together to secure some markets?’ Or, ‘What can we do better from a safety standpoint to sell value to our customers?’”

It’s hard work, says Coleman, but the most important thing to remember during the trust-building process is to be honest, because that’s how you show you can be trusted. “And look, it’s not always going to be what the other side wants to hear, but as long as it’s the truth, you can build those relationships.”

Once that trust has been established and a contractor wants to go after a new market, contractors should be open to asking labor about what they think, says Guy Gast, president of The Waldinger Corporation’s Iowa division. “If you are willing to invite input on your new market plans from your banker, insurance professionals, accountant, or colleagues, then you should be willing to test your ideas on labor leadership,” he says. “Of course, that only happens when you have trust.”

For Angie Simon, it’s also crucial to share the business plan for a new opportunity with labor partners. It could outline the number of workers needed, the qualifications they’d need, and the growth plan over the next six months to a year so that labor can also plan. Carol Duncan agrees that it’s crucial to share numbers with labor partners in these situations. She is the CEO of General Sheet Metal in Portland, Oregon, and the

management co-chair of the SMART-SMACNA Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force. “I’ll share vivid notes and numbers, and say, ‘Here’s my bid, here’s my competition’s, and this is why we didn’t get this job. How can we be more strategic in our approach next time?’ We’re both limited in what we can do, but it is so important to find those common threads or those out-of-the-box ideas that you can use to try to get there and make it workable.”

Those limits, though, and getting both parties to understand them, can be the biggest challenge when trying to work together to develop a new market, say both Duncan and Coleman. On the labor side, Coleman found that it could sometimes be tough to get the contractor to realize that just because he agreed with the contractor didn’t mean the membership would also agree.

On the contractor side, Duncan says the hardest challenge to overcome is getting labor to understand how difficult it is to get into a new market or how difficult it is in some markets to get work because of the non-union competition.

Plainly, they both agree that one of the keys to getting on the same page is building trust in the other. “And that’s an ongoing process,” says Duncan. “It’s all about continually reaching out and trying to be responsive to their needs. And when they call and ask for help, we help. We do what we can so that when I say we need help, the response is, ‘We’ll do what we can because you’ve always been there for us.’”

The result of that reciprocity is, ultimately, what’s best for the industry as a whole, says Coleman. Whether it is a new market opportunity or any other issue labor and management were discussing, he says, in his experience, it never helps to be close-minded. “You have to be open-minded, and you really need to look at what’s best for the industry,” he says. “Because if we’re taking care of the industry, I think the industry will take care of us.” ▪ Jordan Whitehouse is a freelance business journalist from Kingston, Ontario, who writes for magazines, newspapers, and online publications throughout Canada and the United States.

Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 9

Pivoting During a Crisis By / Natalie Bruckner

Understanding the importance of when, why, and how to pivot your business during a crisis could constitute its ultimate success or failure, as Fontana, California-based SMACNA firm GES Sheet Metal knows. The company recently proved how a pivot done correctly can lead to greater opportunities and business growth, even during a pandemic.

In 2019, GES won a contract to become the architectural siding contractor for a $30-million job in Claremont, California. The company was tasked with providing designassist and custom metal work for the new McGregor Computer Science Center at Harvey Mudd College. At that time, nobody could have predicted that the world was about to be turned upside down.

Fast-forward a few months, and construction in parts of the country came to a halt. In those areas where sheet metal was considered an essential service, operations had to undergo a rigorous rethink in order to meet safety guidelines and protect workers.

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It was this rethink that opened up new opportunities for GES. President Johnny Reeves says that the McGregor Computer Science Center project is a great example of a tough design, combined with a tough schedule, during a pandemic.

While the project did indeed close briefly due to a shelterin-place ordinance, it opened just a few weeks later when it was deemed essential work. But “work as normal” could not resume.

The team at GES considered their options. How would they protect the workforce from exposure risks? What measures needed to be put into place to ensure safety protocols were met and staff were comfortable enough to actually go to work?

And what about material procurement? Would this impact the schedule? These were just some of the practices and systems that now needed careful consideration.

Minimizing their exposure caused the team at GES to think about fabrications and installations a little differently. “We have had to be flexible in our thought process, while staying

Fast-forward a few months, and construction in parts of the country came to a halt. In those areas where sheet metal was considered an essential service, operations had to undergo a rigorous rethink in order to meet safety guidelines and protect workers.

within the confines of the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) requirements for general COVID safety,” says Reeves.

For the installation on the project, GES realized time was of the essence and decided that modularizing fabrications in the shop would be a great alternative solution to create the 20,000 square feet panel system required for the project. This method proved so successful that the company is now considering continuing this practice.

While having the foresight to pivot operations ad hoc is one reason for the company’s success during this trying time, Michelle Lee, co-owner of GES, adds that success wouldn’t have been possible without teamwork and partnerships between the company and Local 105.

“Early on in the project, a partnership mentality was established which created a confidence,” says Lee. “It’s these kinds of relationships that seem to keep this project moving forward amid an ever-changing terrain.”

It was the “in this together” approach that helped smooth the process. Andrew Gonzales, political/communications liaison at Local 105, says the industry is always adopting new ways of doing things to seize market share. “It’s just that now we are seeing more opportunity for HVAC, fire life safety, and ventilation,” he says. “We are learning as much from our failures as we are our successes, but it’s essential we continue sharing our stories, as no-one knows what the future holds.”

Gonzales says since the pandemic began he has seen some big differences in how people operate, with GES being a great example. He adds that keeping updated and informed in order to get the message out to members has been an essential part of his job.

“As soon as COVID-19 happened, I started to track what was occurring here in our industry,” he says. “I reached out to members to get updates that could act as a guide for other members. There was so much misinformation in the regular press it was essential to go directly to the source to ensure what we were releasing was factual and up-to-date. As a result, our web traffic and social media numbers have increased as people have been seeking out information about what was going on.

Labor-management relationships have become even more important. People were reaching out to those they trust.”

Across the country there are numerous examples of the success fostered by a labor-management partnership mentality—contractors and Locals working together to keep

businesses afloat and help one another to work safely and smart.

One great example was SMART Locals collaborating with SMACNA contractors to produce and donate metal nose strips for the millions of masks being made by volunteer groups across the country. Another is Murphy Company and its team of Local 36 members who worked out how to install temporary ductwork along a hospital building so that several rooms could be converted into isolation rooms. They then shared this information with their Local so others could benefit.

The sheet metal industry has always been a business about people, and people need people, especially during these trying times. As Gonzales says, “The way buildings are being constructed is going to change, and I think it’s a good thing when you look at the lessons being learned. The silver lining to this [pandemic] is it will result in safer, more efficient practices and making sure members are fit, healthy, and still earning a living for their families. We are coming together more than ever to support one another.” ▪ 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 » September 2020 » 11

Strive to Succeed

The Partners in Progress challenge has a new deadline and new structure to ensure local areas can still claim their joint marketing funds.

By / Jessica Kirby By / Jessica Kirby

The Strive to Succeed Challenge—part of the Partners in Progress Conference—brings labor-management teams together in a friendly competition with other areas across the country. Like most events, Strive to Succeed has been impacted

by COVID-19, but the challenge is still on in a different form.

Announced earlier this summer, the deadline to complete Strive to Succeed 2020 and its structure have changed to help all local areas that participate earn joint marketing funds.

“The Strive to Succeed Challenge was a fun way for all parties involved to get the most out of the 2020 Partners in Progress Conference,” says Joye Blanscett, Director of Labor Services and Human Resource Management for SMACNA and Conference Liaison. “We enjoyed charting participants’ success along the way.”

Launched prior to the Partners in Progress 2020 Conference, The Strive to Succeed Challenge invited local areas to complete simple, low-impact tasks before, during, and after the conference in order to earn up to $3,000 for use towards future marketing. The ultimate goal? Building collaborative labor-management relationships.

SMART Locals in conjunction with SMACNA chapters and contractors complete the tasks in two phases, and their progress was recognized along the way. Phase one consisted of four segments of unique tasks designed to engage the resources available through Partners in Progress, and it encouraged participants to build their labor-management relationships by 12 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

delving into the needs and opportunities of their local market.

“Upon successful completion of phase one of the challenge, participants received $1,000 to use towards future marketing in their local area,” Blanscett says.

Phase two of the challenge required SMART unions along with SMACNA chapters to develop the goals identified in phase one into a longer-term plan of action. Areas who developed one of the plans below and provided a copy to the Partners in Progress team were eligible to receive an additional $2,000 to use towards marketing in their local area: •M ake an application for an ITI training grant; •D evelop a digital marketing plan; •N egotiate a market recovery agreement; •C reate/update a recruitment and retention plan; or •D evelop a joint labor-management strategic plan “The ultimate goal of the challenge is bringing SMACNA chapters and SMART Locals together to build stronger relationships and follow the ideas shared during the recent Partners in Progress Conference,” Blanscett says. “Now, even those who did not attend the conference can participate.”

Given the restrictions in place due to COVID-19, the challenge’s structure has changed. Locals and chapters need only complete the simple tasks below to secure $1,500 to be used toward future marketing campaigns. Additionally, the deadline date to complete these tasks has been pushed back to February 28, 2021.

1. M eet together (virtually or in-person) as labor and management to identify a joint goal.

2. Identify a timeline and action steps to develop and ultimately implement the agreed upon goal.

3. Discuss how implementation is progressing as a group, and make adjustments to your plan as needed.

4.

Report on your progress to pinp@smacna.org by February 28, 2021.

Local 71 and SMACNA in Buffalo, New York, responded early and strong in the Strive to Succeed Challenge.

Andre Mayes, market development representative for Local 71, said the decision to participate came from a strong belief that the union and signatory contractors work better when they cooperate to achieve common goals.

“When you lack a shared strategy, you can wind up with two captains trying to point one ship in different directions,” he says. “Getting projects done on time and under budget does not need to contrast with safety and fair compensation for labor. In fact, they are all easier to achieve individually when they are reached for simultaneously by all parties involved.”

Andrew Nowak, director of operations at SMACNA Buffalo’s Mollenberg-Betz, agrees. “For our group, participating in the challenge was not a question, as we are continually working together on the majority of the topics and challenges anyway,” he says. “Local 71 and SMACNA Buffalo have a history of success in our business relationship. We pride ourselves on our continuous communication and respect our positions within our industry.”

To fulfill the challenge requirements, Mayes took charge of setting up the meetings between Local 71 and SMACNA and ensuring the partnership achieved its mutually agreed upon goals in a timely fashion.

He believes both groups will have a more successful outreach and advertising program as a result of participation in Strive to Succeed. “We have always had a good relationship, but having a common voice will help us communicate better with our members and contractors as well as the general public and prospective sheet metal workers,” he says.

“The challenge provides a valuable infrastructure to promote result-driven communication between the labor and management team members,” Nowak says. “By the end of the challenge, we had results that were tangible and that we could actually apply to achieve our goals.”

Local 71 and SMACNA Buffalo haven’t yet decided how they will spend the market funding, but they have discussed an advertising budget.

Mayes says he would absolutely recommend Strive to Succeed to other labor-management partnerships interested in achieving a common goal.

“There is never a reason to not set goals that help to push you to work better together,” he says. “I believe that this challenge was a good warm-up exercise for what I hope to be

continued mutual assistance. I don’t think it’s an end, but a good beginning.”

“I would like to thank Joye Blanscett and everyone who helped to put this together, as well as the SMACNA partners we worked with here in Buffalo to achieve our common goals,” Mayes says. “When you sit down with someone on the other side in this industry, you often find that everyone wants the same things—more market share, more hours for workers, and more of the pie to be divided up on the union side. We all work far better together than apart.”

Local areas interested in participating in the Strive to Succeed Challenge still have time. Reach out to pinp@smacna.org for specific requirements and to register. Ready your submit your materials? Remember to report on your progress to pinp@ smacna.org by February 28, 2021. ▪ Jessica Kirby is a freelance editor and writer covering construction, architecture, mining, travel, and sustainable living for myriad publications across Canada and the United States. She can usually be found among piles of paper in her home office or exploring nature’s bounty in British Columbia’s incredible wilderness.

 Strive to Succeed - pinp.org/conferences/pinp20/ strive-to-succeed-challenge/  Email - pinp@smacna.org  Facebook - facebook.com/sheetmetalpartners  Twitter - twitter.com/smpartners  Instagram - instagram.com/smpartners/  Partners in Progress magazine - issuu.com/ partnersinprogress/

Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 13

© Can Stock Photo / franckito

The Energy to Thrive NEMIC works for SMACNA and SMART identifying new market and education opportunities for labor and management By / Jessica Kirby For a labor-management partnership to be successful, using every available tool is critical. Jointly-funded organizations like National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) are a gold mine of ideas and resources that can play an important role in keeping partnerships running smoothly, particularly when delving into developing markets.

The National Energy Management Committee (NEMIC), a not-for-profit organization, is jointly funded by SMACNA and SMART. It identifies and develops market and educational opportunities, seeking to create or expand employment for SMART members and programs that assist SMACNA contractors.

Particularly, NEMIC’s emphasis is on accelerating the benefits derived from ANSI accreditation of TABB (International Certification Board/Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau) certification standards in the areas of testing, adjusting and balancing, and HVAC fire life safety.

Soph Davenberry is NEMIC’s director of technology. She is also co-chair of the Outreach and Marketing Committee of the newly formed nonprofit Rainscreen Association in North America (RAiNA)—a coalition of industry experts dedicated to providing a forum to discuss the latest topics impacting rainscreen assemblies and the necessary action to lead the industry into the future.

A passion of Davenberry’s is advocating for clarity around green collar jobs and identifying new markets within the environmental sector. The environmental movement and push for better energy efficiency has created some skepticism in the trades with concerns over job security if certain carbon fuelbased energy projects are not permitted, or that Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is just a stack of extra documentation.

“Yet, the crew that puts in their 40 hours and more slamming in duct is the same crew that wants to preserve streams for 14 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org

fishing and forest reserves for hunting,” Davenberry says.

“The policy makers who ask how much energy is used in building out of steel also want safe conditions and living wages for all involved on a project. For me, the term ‘green collar’ represents where my values as an inhabitant of this planet and my ethic as a member of the organized construction industry merge.

“The skills we have in building new are the same skills we use to renew what we already have,” Davenberry adds. “Longterm vision for our industry includes not just participating in the creation of a project but sticking around to maintain it afterwards.”

Clients in the building industry now have access to more information and tools to establish immediately whether systems installed in a project are performing as expected. As more performance data becomes available, the skills of the workforce installing, setting up, and maintaining these systems are just as important as the energy rating a piece of equipment was assigned on the factory floor.

NEMIC, through the International Certification Board (ICB) and TABB, provides the certification programs that are the documented verification of the skills of the personnel and contractors performing this essential work.

“Now more than ever, when people ask how we really know if we’re getting the right airflow conditions, performing safety systems work correctly, or ensuring the building will last as long as it’s supposed to, we can use the integrity of our certifications to allay their concerns,” Davenberry says.

Daveberry says.

“The NEMIC team is dedicated to educating our members, other industry professionals, and the public at large about accessing the certifications and certified professionals and contractors, and especially the significance these certifications carry.”

Whether it is research for legislation, presentations online (and in-person as the pandemic fades), answering technical questions, or assessing new market opportunities, NEMIC represents the collaboration for furthering the organized sheet metal industry, which can only happen when labor and management work together.

“Because we have dedicated staff who are able to do so full time on behalf of all SMART and SMACNA members, investments in the ITI, SMOHIT, and NEMIC are guaranteed down payments on our future as an industry,” Davenberry says.

INDUSTRY AWARDS: Locals 105 and 88 NEMIC announced its annual Industry Awards earlier this year, which recognize Locals, training centers, SMACNA chapters, and other sheet metal organizations for leadership, commitment, and innovation in the unionized sheet metal industry.

Southern California JATC Local 105 near Los Angeles was recognized for its leadership in implementation and promotion of Mechanical Acceptance Test (MAT) certifications mandated under California Code of Regulations Title 24. Local 88 in Las Vegas was recognized for its commitment to the passage of statewide fire life safety legislation.

In California, training apprentices and journeypeople to certify in MAT allows SMART members to grasp the work and hold onto it for now and into the future. To expand opportunities, the training center was opened to members from Local 206 in San Diego, which doesn’t have the ability to conduct certifications.

Beginning this semester, apprentices are required to complete the training and certification for Mechanical Acceptance Test Technician (MATT) before they graduate.

Training and certifying in MAT goes back to a mantra Lance Clark, administrator for Local 105’s training center, shares with his apprentices: get as many certifications as you can, so you’re never expendable.

Well-rounded apprentices—and journeypersons—are an asset to contractors. “Contractors want workers with certifications to allow them to bid that work,” he added.

NEMIC and Local 88 leadership had work hours and public safety on their minds as they lobbied to pass legislation in Nevada that would require fire and smoke damper maintenance and testing of smoke and fire dampers and smoke control systems in most commercial buildings.

According Bill AB 297, the inspection, testing, and maintenance of these fire life safety systems must be completed by a technician certified by the ICB, through a program accredited by ANSI, similar to legislative passed in California.

Nevada was the second state to pass statewide legislation.

Washington followed suit as the third, this spring.

Jeff Proffitt, business manager for Local 88, attributes the passage to presentations given by Scott Hammond, NEMIC

director of research, and member Kennedy Sanders, a Local 88 instructor who works with fire life safety systems daily.

Together, NEMIC and Local 88 worked to educate building owners who didn’t understand the severity of leaving fire life safety systems unchecked. Implementation was set to begin in

"The integrity of our certifications ally [customer] concerns."

—Soph Davenberry, NEMIC’s director of technology January 2020, but has been derailed due to the pandemic.

Local 88 was recognized for exceptional commitment to passage of fire life safety legislation and promotion of ICB/ TABB certifications, and Proffitt says it is recognition shared with the entire team that made it happen.

“It can be done, and it’s important to both Republicans and Democrats,” he says. “In the committees, it was a unanimous vote. We have a really good team. Those guys do the work.” ▪ Jessica Kirby is a freelance editor and writer covering construction, architecture, mining, travel, and sustainable living for myriad publications across Canada and the United States.

NEMIC CERTIFICATIONS Technicians: • Fire and Smoke Damper Technician • Smoke Control Systems Technician • TABB Technician • Acceptance Testing Technician • Building Envelope Installer Technician • Fume Hood Performance Testing Technician • Indoor Air Quality Technician • Total Building Energy Audit Technician • Infection Control Awareness Worker Supervisors: • Fire and Smoke Damper Supervisor • Smoke Control Systems Supervisor • Commissioning Supervisor • Sound and Vibration Supervisor • TABB Supervisor • Indoor Air Quality Supervisor Contractors: • Fire and Smoke Damper Contractor • Smoke Control Systems Contractor • Commissioning Contractor • TABB Contractor • Sound and Vibration Contractor • Acceptance Testing Employer Learn more at www.nemiconline.org Partners in Progress » September 2020 » 15

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