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Closing Dinner & Show

CIC Reception (CIC Members Only)

Working Through the Aftermath of a Fatality or Extreme Injury

Presenters:
Don Campbell, CHST, P1 Group
Ryan Hayes, General Manager of Home Office Claims, Federated Insurance

This session will determine how best to work through the days, weeks, months, and years that follow a tragic workplace fatality or severe injury.  In addition, the program will discuss in great detail the three aspects of an incident from a Business, Emotional, and Litigious standpoint. The session also includes a true case study that explores a recent steel piping system pressure testing incident that resulted in a fatality and the tools necessary to manage this type of crisis.

Improving Procurement to Improve Your Books & Margins

Presenter:
Maria Davidson, CEO & Founder, KOJO

How a contractor purchases, tracks, and pays for their materials impacts the efficiency of their team, the accuracy of their books, and ultimately, their projects’ margins. In this session, attendees will team up to map a contractor’s typical materials procurement process - from procurement to payment and identify gaps or inefficiencies. Following a brief presentation on best practices, teams will then optimize their materials management processes and calculate the impact that best practices can have on their cost and time savings.

Key takeaways:

Learning Objectives

1. How to accurately track materials spend vs. budget throughout a job
2. Identify ways to remove manual data entry and eliminate errors from job costing
3.  Learn how to quickly catch billing errors by automating invoice matching with POs and delivery receipts
4. How to reduce overhead costs and find material cost savings by implementing procurement management best practices

Expanding Training Opportunity Ideas Using ITI Grants and Resources

Presenters:
Mike Harris, Administrator, ITI
Ronald McGuire, Director, VDC and Technology Training, ITI                           

JATC Management Trustee Panelists:

• Rich Bonner, Big B Contracting, Toms River, NJ   
• John Sickle, Duct Fabricators Inc., Cleveland, OH
• Bill Blakely, Blakely Sheet Metal, St. Louis, MO
• Dan Durphy, Peters Eichler Mechanical, St. Louis, MO

This session will give an update on initiatives and resources available to JATCs from the International Training Institute (ITI). ITI Administration will explain potential strategies on how a JATC can utilize various programs, materials, resources, and other fund offerings to expand training opportunities for members within the sheet metal industry. There will also be a panel of JATC management trustees to discuss how their JATCs have utilized some of these resources to enhance or expand their training.

Politics and Policy 2023 - A Capitol Hill Briefing and Commentary

Presenters: 
Stan Kolbe, Executive Director of Government and Political Affairs
Erykka Thompson, Assistant Director, Legislative Affairs
Denise Murphy McGraw

You can see the fonts and colors both included. As we move through the designs, widgets and additional styles that are being used on the new site will be added and this will eventually become a Style-Guide page on the new website for editors to refer to.

But for now there are only fonts and colors.

Get ready for an interactive panel discussion focusing on the Congress, federal agencies, and the White House with a review and prognosis of the Senate and House campaigns and the upcoming 2024 elections. The panel will feature a wide-ranging commentary on politics, economics, and issues that matter to our industry, as well as those with national importance impacting contractors and the construction industry in general. Attendees are encouraged to bring their questions, comments, and energy to engage over national, state, and local issues and political developments.

Accelerate Your Impact: HR for Small Employers

Presenter:
Dan Kelly, Legal Counsel, Felhaber Larson

Managing a small office can often be more challenging than a large one for the person in charge of HR. Small offices often mean close quarters and frequent interactions between coworkers that cannot be mitigated easily. Labor and Employment expert Dan Kelly of Felhaber Larson will teach chapter executives how to navigate the myriad of HR laws applicable to small businesses while also maintaining a productive and welcoming workplace for all.

President's Lunch

Sponsored by ServiceTitan

Labor Forum

Presenter:
Mike Coleman, SMART General President

Moderator:
Jason Watson, Executive Director Labor Relations, SMACNA

SMART General President Mike Coleman will deliver an industry update with adequate time for a question and answer session. General President Coleman will recap the last 12 months and share SMART’s priorities heading into 2024. Jason Watson, SMACNA Executive Director of Labor Relations, will moderate the program.

Keynote Presentation

Dr. Anirban Basu

Dr. Anirban Basu, SMACNA’s Chief Economist, is recognized as one of the foremost strategic analysts in the construction world. His presentation will leverage his knowledge of current market forces and past economic trends to inform SMACNA contractors about what to expect not only for the remainder of 2023, but 2024 and beyond. He will outline how factors such as inflation, the supply chain, and governmental monetary policy will influence corporate decision making from a micro and macro level.

SMACNA Annual Business Meeting

SMACN-IFUS Contributors’ Annual Meeting

Convention Registration

Turning Obstacles into Opportunities, a WIC Panel Discussion

Moderator:
Angie Simon, P.E., Executive Director and Co-Founder, Heavy Metal Summer Experience

Panelists:

• Carmen Koo, Applied Air Conditioning
• Shasta Erickson, Miller Bonded
• Kathy Kerber, KSM Metal Fabrication
• Maria Ford, DeWalt
• Melissa Barbour, SMACNA of Long Island

The Women in Construction session will feature a panel discussion on some of the most critical topics regarding women taking on leadership roles in the industry. The panelists will leverage their diverse experience and expertise on how leaders can turn potential obstacles into opportunities, in addition to building a workplace that is inclusive to their peers and empowers them to take charge and successfully advance their professional careers.

Powder Coating: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Presenters:
David Flatten - President, Inland Powder Coating
Luke Bland, Director of Specialty Metals, Poynter Sheet Metal  

In this informative session, we delve into the world of powder coating. Join us as we explore the various aspects of this popular finishing technique and discuss its advantages, limitations, and potential challenges. We will shed light on the "good" aspects of powder coating, such as its durability, environmental benefits, and cost-effectiveness. However, we will not shy away from discussing the "bad" and "ugly" aspects that can arise, such as issues with thickness control, texture inconsistency, and maintenance requirements. 

With practical insights and real-life examples, this session aims to equip contractors with a comprehensive understanding of powder coating, allowing them to make informed decisions and deliver high-quality results in their sheet metal projects.

Risk Management for Construction Professionals

Presenter:
Guy Gast, Past President, Waldinger Corporation – Iowa Division

Attendees will hear how successful contractors manage contract risk, with specific advice on killer contract clauses, tips for negotiating successfully, and how to weave a tighter net to protect their companies from unfair contracts.

The Real Shortage in the Employment Market

Presenter:
Julie Markee, Founder and Managing Director, Key Process Innovations

If you are one of the many companies struggling to attract and retain great talent, now is the time to leverage what is happening in the labor market. In this talk, you will learn the four keys to attract and retain great employees.

Attendees will leave this workshop with greater clarity about the definition of great employees and ensuring those employees have all the tools to thrive in their organization.

Specifically, the participants will learn:

• A process to identify what makes a great person in their unique organization
• Three elements that employees need to succeed
• A system to ensure that management is providing those three elements

How the National Energy Management Institute Can Help SMACNA Contractors

Presenters:
Lisa Davis, Administrator, NEMI
Chris Ruch, Director of Education, NEMI
Cassandra Kline, Director of Building Construction Technology, NEMI
Duane Smith, Director of Certification, NEMI

Meet members of the National Energy Management Institute – a jointly managed fund of SMART and SMACNA – and learn what we’re doing to assist the industry in expanding into new and existing markets! Want to organize a Lunch & Learn for stakeholders in your area? Looking to partner with state or local government or school districts to bid on federally funded projects? Trying to find a way to get TABB in project specifications? Looking for academic research or resources to support your organization? Please talk with us about how we can help you through legislation implementation efforts, contractor & supervisor training, industry-recognized certifications, and outreach.