St. Louis SMACNA Chapter Steps Up New Horizons Support

The St. Louis chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) has made a $100,000 grant to The New Horizons Foundation – A Sheet Metal Industry Initiative. The St. Louis chapter’s investment in the Foundation will help fund innovative management education for the sheet metal industry. The New Horizons Foundation commissions exemplary research and education selected for its positive impact on the growth and success of the sheet metal and HVAC industry. The Foundation seeks to serve as a “knowledge link,” bringing together industry members, suppliers, contracting partners, academic universities, and trade associations. Organized in 2001, the New Horizons Foundation has received industry commitments totaling $3.5 million -- including a $2 million seed grant from SMACNA National -- towards an initial goal of $8 million. Three projects are being developed in the Foundation’s inaugural year: Quantifying the Cumulative Impact of Change orders on Sheet Metal Contractors; The Future of Union Sheet Metal Construction; and Attracting the Millennium Generation to the Sheet metal and HVAC Industries. St. Louis is the first SMACNA chapter to join the Federation's Summit Council. As a major investor in the Foundation, St. Louis will have an active voice in selecting programs and projects to be commissioned with Foundation funds,” notes Butch Welsch, chapter member and Foundation vice-chair. In announcing the grant, St. Louis chapter President Howard Stine said, “Our chapter has played a key role in our industry for more than 50 years. We look forward to the opportunity to take a leading role in helping to implement the New Horizons Foundation’s programs as it puts in place an aggressive educational agenda.” For more information about the new horizons Foundation and its Summit Council, contact SMACNA Executive Director Dennis Bradshaw at 703/222-9001.