SMACNA Government & Technical Updates & Engagement Opportunities

Aaron Hilger

The first quarter is always busy at SMACNA. We have lots of association events, our technical department is out in force, labor is starting its bargaining season and the government relations team is focused on many regulatory issues. 

We also have our board meeting and two of my favorite functions — the Chapter Executives Institute (CEI) and Association Leadership Meeting. The CEI meeting is an opportunity for chapter executives to learn from each other and from curated speakers on association management topics. We also review labor, government relations and upcoming SMACNA programming. Association Leadership is an opportunity for local officers and executive directors to explore governance and leadership topics together in a collaborative environment. I encourage you to take part in the Association Leadership meeting if you are serving in a leadership role on a chapter board. Our next meeting will be in March of 2024. I am already working on the agenda and seeking ways to support chapters as part of our strategic plan.  

Stan Kolbe and our government relations staff are preparing for the CEA meeting this May. It is wonderful to bring this meeting back to life, and we appreciate all of the support from members. Our government relations program is stronger because of the many meetings we hold each year in Washington and in your local Congressional district. Many of our most active members attend the CEA meeting and also have great experiences meeting their representatives throughout the year. If your company has not yet signed a PAC authorization card, please consider doing so, and we can share even more details about the great work that is being done on your behalf. Now is a great time to engage as we seek to capitalize on the favorable regulatory environment. There are also issues, such as the extension of 179d that are vital to the continued success of our members.  

Our technical department is excited to report they are making progress on updates to several manuals and apps. Three manuals will be out for public review this year. This includes the HVAC Systems Duct Design Manual (revised edition) in April; the Testing, Adjusting & Balancing Manual (revised edition) in May and Seismic Bracing Manual (revised edition) in late summer. We have also started updates to the Seismic Bracing Manual – HCAI Edition (formally OSHPD). In addition to the review process, the Rectangular Industrial Duct Construction Standard (revised edition) will be ready by SMACNA Convention. The technical department also has two new apps coming this summer for Duct Sizing and Exhaust Duct Sizing. Technical manuals are part of our core offerings, and we are proud to create strong products for the industry. We also have a growing focus on apps and making our manuals more user friendly. 

The last item that I wanted to address is Indoor Air Quality and ventilation verification. We are seeing increasing opportunities for our members to expand their work into these areas. If you have not looked at doing ventilation verification, I encourage you to do so, especially with all of the money flowing into school districts and public buildings. SMACNA’s IAQ website will be up later this month. Please let us know if you do this work; you can choose it as a service in our "Find a Contractor" directory.  

Thank you for being an engaged SMACNA member. Have a great construction season.

Aaron Hilger is CEO of SMACNA, bringing more than two decades of executive association leadership to this role. Hilger is focused on building a stronger, more competitive environment for all SMACNA contractors.