By Jeremy Hallman, Executive Director, SMACNA-BC
We are pleased to announce the arrival of Leanne Husdon, our new administrative assistant at SMACNA-BC. Leanne’s extensive accounting knowledge and experience, combined with her positive attitude, have already made a significant impact in our office. The experience and eagerness she’s shown so far has enabled her to adapt quickly to her new role. I look forward to everyone having the chance to meet her over the coming months.
One of the most prominent concerns we’ve been hearing from contractors lately relates to the shortage of humanpower. The apprentice grants available for 2022 and 2023, along with the relentless efforts of our organizer, Steve Davis, and the entire Local 280 team, have helped us reach over 2,000 members in the union, along with the doubling of our female members. This is indeed a cause for celebration. However, the scarcity of journey-level workers remains a challenge, particularly with the influx of new members. This makes effective supervision more crucial than ever.
Recently, I had the privilege of visiting the new Valley location of SMWTCS. Alongside our president, Mark Kuelle of Austin Metal Fabricators, I participated in a presentation led by Jud Martel and Jake LeBlanc. The purpose was to discuss the need for more funding with local Members of Parliament.
SMACNA-BC also had the pleasure of joining ASHRAE for a Whitecaps game on October 4 in the Edgewater Suite at BC Place Stadium. Together, we had 160 attendees who witnessed the Whitecaps’ impressive 3-0 victory over St. Louis. I extend a special thank you to Norm Grusnick of Ecco Supply and Peter Sung from Equipco for hosting this wonderful event. We would also like to thank financial sponsors Olympic International, Daikin, and Oxygen8.
Congratulations are in order for Mark McLaren of Ridge Sheet Metal Co. for winning the Garmin watch.
As we move forward, we are diligently filling our 2024 calendar in the SMACNA-BC office. We have already begun booking presenters for dinner meetings, supervisory training, and business management programs. If you have any suggestions for topics or programs you would like to see covered, please do not hesitate to share them with us.
EVENTS
SMACNA-BC Contractors only meeting • September 18, 2023, at the Burnaby Conference Centre
SMACNA-BC hosted a half-day contractors-only meeting to discuss a change order template we’ve been collaboratively developing. This template aims to provide a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in determining an hourly charge-out rate. We had a strong turnout, and the feedback we received was invaluable. If you couldn’t attend the meeting but would like to receive a DRAFT copy of the template before its official release in December, please reach out to the SMACNA-BC office.
“Field Effectiveness” supervisor program with instructor Andy Patron, Consultant and Speaker • November 8, 2023, at the Surrey Civic Hotel
Topics at this training program included:
Field opportunities and obstacles: This session overed defining the difference between working smarter and working harder and understanding the benefits of stepping back and observing. We also covered how to wipe out obstacles to productivity and documenting the foreperson’s role in improving profits and productivity.
Pre-job planning: Planning for a smooth project transition to the field, pre-job risk analysis, and site logistics/planning.
The impact of productivity changes on financial performance: How proactive superintendents directly impact project costs everyday and how even small productivity changes dramatically impact the bottom line.
UPCOMING EVENTS
SMACNA-BC Christmas Party • December 1, 2023, at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Vancouver
All year long people await the SMACNA-BC Christmas Party at the Pan Pacific Hotel, Downtown Vancouver. It is the perfect chance to dress up, get together, and welcome the holidays. This year, join SMACNA-BC contractors and their guests Friday, December 1 at 6:30 p.m. Please remember to bring an unwrapped gift and/or donate to the Helping Families in Need Society helpingfamiliesinneed.org
Be sure to visit smacna-bc.org for a calendar of events and to plan your attendance at the next SMACNA-BC membership meeting. ■
