PASSING THE TORCH TO NEW LEADERSHIP

Another busy holiday season has passed and we’re looking forward to the bustle and excitement a new year will bring. No doubt challenges lie ahead with continuing labor and supply chain shortages, but I’m confident we’ll move beyond those lingering issues together as we work to find solutions that benefit us all as industry partners. That’s why this association exists — to give members every opportunity to stay informed of the latest industry news and continually push us to find ways to do business better.

With my role as president coming to an end, I’d like to reflect on all we’ve accomplished these past three years. First and foremost, we’re always working to improve relationships with our labor counterparts. To that end, we successfully negotiated a four-year contract with Local 73 in 2019 and Local 265 in 2020, and all parties involved were pleased with the outcome. Additionally, we eliminated the local pension fund withdrawal liability with our trustees at the pension and welfare office. We’re energized to continue “Building the Future Together” — the theme of the 2022 Partners in Progress conference, set for March 1-2 in Las Vegas. Check out more information on the event on page 26.

The global COVID-19 pandemic caused our already busy professional and personal lives to both veer wildly off the rails and come to a screeching halt at the same time. For a while, no one in any industry was sure what to do, but we used the resources and technologies at our disposal and soon got back on track. Now, we’re more resilient than ever, and certainly more prepared for the complexities of a hybrid work schedule and remote office workforce.

It’s been an interesting few years, to say the least, but change is on the horizon. SMACNA Greater Chicago is left in the very capable hands of incoming President Hank Artlip, along with Jeff Lukitsh as Vice President and Tom Coonan as Treasurer, who will continue to lead our association into a bright and successful future.

Joe Passannante
Outgoing President, SMACNA Greater Chicago