Let's Talk Shop

In the latest edition of Let's Talk Shop, Angie Simon sits down with Nate Oland, Senior National Account Executive with SMACNA Premier Partner Federated Insurance. During their discussion, Angie and Nate talk about all of the ways that SMACNA collaborates with Federated in terms of products and services, as well as some of the issues that contractors need to be aware of, such as cyber security.

For the latest episode of Let's Talk Shop, Angie Simon is joined by Joseph Sellers, Jr., the General President of The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART). Angie and Joe talk about the collaboration between SMACNA and SMART on issues such as diversity in the workplace and workforce development. They also delve into some other topics, including the need to improve the country's HVAC infrastructure in the wake of COVID-19.

Angie Simon is joined by Rick Blazier, COO of Southland Industries. Angie and Rick talk about Southland's recent acquisition of the Brandt Companies and its impact on the company. They also take a moment to talk about workforce development and some general trends going on in the industry.

Angie Simon sits down with Bill Zahner, CEO/Chairman of A. Zahner Co. Angie and Bill talk about some of the incredible and diverse projects his company has been working on and some of the trends that are starting to develop within the industry. The two also talk about how Bill's passion for working with different metals began at a young age and continues to grow to this very day.

Angie Simon sits down with SMACNA CEO Aaron Hilger to talk about his first 100 days in the role, his background and prior experience, and outline some of his goals for the organization.

In Episode 17 of Let's Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, CEO, Western Allied Mechanical, chats with ASHRAE President Chuck Gulledge about his tenure as president in the times of COVID and the opportunities he capitalized on to meet more members than he might have otherwise.

In Episode 16 of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, CEO, Western Allied Mechanical, chats with Leah Rambo, Training Director and Fund Administrator at Sheet Metal Workers Local 28, about the diversity requirements required in the building trades in NYC and how they ensure opportunities in the trade remain equitable and competitive.

Let's Talk Shop, Episode 15: Indoor Air Quality and the Reopening of Buildings by SMACNA

Episode 14 celebrates Women in Construction Week. Host Angie Simon, SMACNA president and CEO of Western Allied Mechanical, talks with Carmen Koo, partner at Applied Air Conditioning in California and Sandra Mennino, president of Cambridgeport Air Systems in Massachusetts, about how they started in the construction industry, some of the challenges they have faced as women in the trades, and what opportunities are available to bring more women into the industry.

In Episode 13 of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, CEO, Western Allied Mechanical and SMACNA President, talks with Kevin Ginley, VP of commercial sales at Majestic Steel, and Brennan Hall, senior HVAC project manager at Johns Manville on how their companies have adapted to stay competitive amid COVID-19, the impact of the “V-shaped recovery,” and the forecast for 2021.

In the latest episode of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, CEO, Western Allied Mechanical, talks with Matt Sano, president of Fisher Balancing Company, a testing and air balancing contractor, and Jennifer Lohr, a technician with the company. “We’ve been called on by our clients to get involved with them and help them prepare areas of their hospital that need to have a negative pressure for the protection of the patients and the caregivers,” says Sano. “The need to make them (hospitals) COVID-19 compliant has been a moving target,” Sano adds. Jennifer Lohr worked day and night in Philadelphia to help reconfigure duct work and find ways to change air pressure at around 250 regular hospital rooms at the Hospitals of the University of Pennsylvania and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. She was tasked with ensuring optimal pressure and airflow testing. And it all had to happen very quickly – often times within 24 hours. “In the event that we weren’t able to do what they were asking with the existing systems that they had, then we would work with the mechanical contractor and the hospital facilities staff to come up with a solution, says Lohr.”

This episode of Let’s Talk Shop features host Angie Simon talking about how she and other contractors are dealing with the issues and shutdowns related to the spread of COVID-19. Rick Hermanson, CEO of Hermanson Company, and Joseph Lansdell, president of Poynter Sheet Metal, discuss working remotely, how they are handling safety and operations on jobsites, what changes they foresee concerning future operations, and if there is any shining light to be gained from the current situation.

For Women in Construction Week, SMACNA president Angie Simon, CEO of Western Allied Mechanical, talks with Carol Duncan, CEO, and her daughter Ashley Duncan, mechanical division manager at General Sheet Metal. General Sheet Metal has grown from 25 people when Carol took over the company to 180 employees today. Ashley officially joined the company in 2015 and has taken more of a leadership role. Carol and Ashley speak about the culture at GSM and their belief in servant leadership and people first. “Relationships are the most important, “ says Carol, “and that is reflected in the growth of the company.”

Lets Talk Shop, Episode 9: City Logistics with Al Labella by SMACNA

What are the benefits of integrated project delivery? In this episode of Let’s Talk Shop, Angie Simon, CEO of Western Allied Mechanical and SMACNA president, talks with Matt Cramer, president, Dee Cramer, on how he got started with integrated project delivery (IPD). Dee Cramer has completed eight IPD projects in Michigan and have noticed a great increase in customer satisfaction when using this process.

In this episode, host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical and SMACNA president-elect, is in Australia with Russell Telford, managing director of A.G. Coombs and national president of the Air Conditioning & Mechanical Contractors Association (AMCA) and Sumit Oberoi, National Director of AMCA and SMACNA Chapter Executive. They talk about some of the similarities and differences in Australia versus the United States, particularly with prefabrication and modularization as well as workforce issues.

Episode #3 of Let’s Talk Shop focuses on peer groups with host Angie Simon of Western Allied Mechanical, Matt Cramer of Dee Cramer, Inc. and Jack Knox of R.F. Knox Company.

In this episode of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical, talks with James Morgan, president and CEO of Worcester Air Conditioning in Ashland, Mass, about lean construction techniques.

Tony Kocurek, owner of Energy Balance and Integration LLC in Albuquerque, New Mexico, talks with host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical, and SMACNA president-elect on smoke/fire damper testing and certification. Tony talks about his work in air testing and balancing as well as how his company got started in fire/life safety and its implications for contractors.

Joe Isom, vice president (former president), California Sheet Metal is featured in this episode of Let’s Talk Shop. Host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical, and SMACNA president-elect talks with Joe about his company’s conversion to an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). They discuss how this succession strategy has improved the culture of the company and how it has changed the way staff and leadership view their roles at California Sheet Metal.

In the latest episode of Let’s Talk Shop, host Angie Simon, president, Western Allied Mechanical, and SMACNA President-Elect talks with Guy Gast, president, The Waldinger Corporation, Iowa Division. Their conversation focuses on their companies’ journey into design-build and how this system has benefited their businesses. They discuss the highlights of a solutions first approach and the advantages of being a one-stop shop for their customers. Also available on iTunes here: https://smacna.online/lets-talk-shop-itunes

Produced by SMACNA, Let’s Talk Shop is hosted by Angie Simon, president of Western Allied Mechanical and SMACNA President-Elect. The first episode features Joseph Lansdell, President of Poynter Sheet Metal, on trends in prefabrication and its impact on the industry. The 20-minute conversation focuses on why and how contractors should get started with prefabrication and what cultural shifts need to happen to make the transition successful. As owners of large and small sheet metal shops, Angie and Joseph talk about the issues they have encountered as well as the benefits.