By / Jessica Kirby
Carol Duncan, owner of General Sheet Metal (GSM) and past president of SMACNA National, has dedicated her career to fostering leadership, innovation, and cooperation within the sheet metal industry.
Duncan’s journey began in 1982 when her father offered her a controller position at GSM. At the time, she was working as a real estate agent managing accounting, home repairs, and cleaning duties.
“Interest rates were 17%, and wallpapering, painting, and cleaning wasn’t as fun as it sounded,” she recalls. “So, I said yes.” Her father, uncle, and a third partner had purchased GSM in 1972. Having grown up working at the roofing company her family managed together, Duncan was already familiar with the business environment and enjoyed the camaraderie of the crews and office staff.
She joined GSM in 1982 and married her husband, Dave, in 1986. Dave, who began his career in the trade right out of high school in 1967, joined GSM as an estimator in 1976.
“We made a great team, running the business together for over 25 years until his retirement in 2008,” Duncan says. “There was a clear line of responsibilities, and as long as we respected that line, things ran smoothly. It was the perfect labor-management relationship.”
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Duncan balanced her work at GSM with raising her children, splitting her time between the office and home. As her daughters grew older, she returned to focus more fully on the business. “From my perspective, I raised my daughters and then began raising GSM,” she says.
Involvement with SMACNA
Duncan’s connection with SMACNA began in the mid-1990s when she started attending conventions. These gatherings allowed her to meet other contractors, learn about their businesses, and gain valuable insights into their operations.
“I quickly realized how generous SMACNA contractors are,” she says. “They’re always willing to share and assist whenever possible.”
By the late 1990s, Duncan was actively involved in SMACNA committees at both local and national levels, where she felt she gained more value than she contributed. She credits SMACNA’s network of contractors for helping her implement new ideas and strategies that continue to shape GSM’s vision.
“A business doesn’t grow and thrive without labor and management working together,” she notes. “At GSM, we’ve always felt like a family, and the people who make it all happen are the most important piece of the puzzle.”
Advancing Best Practices
Duncan’s passion for improving labor-management relations deepened in the early 2000s when the Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force came to Portland. Inspired by the collaborative programs presented, she joined the task force shortly after.
In 2018, Duncan became co-chair of the task force alongside now-General President Mike Coleman, later working with Assistant to the General President Darrell Roberts. She served in that role until stepping down to become SMACNA National President in 2023.
“I am extremely proud of the group of people and the commitment we all share to making our industry better,” Duncan says. “We’ve done some incredible work!”
A Visionary Leader
Under Duncan’s leadership, GSM adopted the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS), a platform that sets quarterly goals and strategies shared company-wide to ensure alignment and focus. The leadership team includes her daughter, Ashley, who serves as operations manager, and a second-tier team, G2, consisting of emerging leaders from across the company.
In 2018, GSM began its journey toward becoming an Employee Stock Ownership Program (ESOP), inspired by Duncan’s experience at a SMACNA National meeting. By 2023, GSM was proud to become 100% employee owned.
Duncan’s tenure as SMACNA National President provided opportunities to travel across the country, meet contractors, and exchange insights. She took pride in showcasing SMACNA’s achievements, including legislative advocacy and the 2024 rollout of the Respectful Workplace Training—a program designed to position contractors as employers of choice.
“It was so enlightening to see the incredible work SMACNA contractors are doing in so many areas,” she reflects. “We are even more diverse than I could have imagined.”
Empowering Employee Owners
In November 2024, GSM celebrated its second Owners’ Summit, emphasizing the importance of ownership. The company implemented Open Book Management and Financial Training to ensure all employee-owners understand the fundamentals of business success.
“As my journey winds down, my priority is ensuring that our new owners fully grasp what their ownership means and how they can contribute to the company’s continued success,” Duncan says. ■
