Presidential Welcome to the Conference: Charting a Path to Success

In this opening session, our esteemed SMART & SMACNA Presidents warmly welcome attendees to the conference and set the tone for the exciting days ahead. This presidential welcome serves as the official launch of the event, providing insights into the conference theme, highlighting key objectives, and inspiring participants to make the most of their conference experience. Join us as we begin this journey together with the Presidents’ words of encouragement and guidance.

Speakers:

 

Carol Duncan
SMACNA President

Carol Duncan is the owner and Chief Executive Officer of General Sheet Metal, Inc. (GSM) in Clackamas, Oregon. GSM fabricates and installs dry side mechanical sheet metal, architectural metals, architectural panel manufacturing, specialty metal fabrication and industrial service. GSM employs approximately 100 sheet metal workers and 30 non bargaining employees and has been on the list of Oregon’s Best 100 Companies to work for ten of the last twelve years. This year GSM was recognized as one of the fifty fastest growing women owned business by WPO and American Express.

 

Michael Coleman
SMART General President

Michael Coleman assumed the position of SMART General President on June 1, 2023, having been elected by the SMART General Executive Council following the retirement of former SMART General President Joseph Sellers. In all, Coleman has more than 20 years of dedicated leadership at the local and international level. He played a crucial role during SMART’s second-ever General Convention in 2019, serving as secretary of the Constitution Committee and shepherding through 114 proposed amendments – helping to facilitate the democratic process of our union and positioning SMART for future success.

Coleman began his career as a SMART sheet metal worker in 1985, when he joined what was then Local 65 in Cleveland, Ohio (Local 65 merged with Local 33 soon after). After graduating into journeyperson status and honing his craft for several years, he ran for election as a member of the local’s executive board. From there, he became business representative, then Local 33 president and business manager in 2012.

At Local 33, Coleman cultivated a reputation for pursuing innovative strategies in order to organize more members, effectively structure benefit and pension plans, provide greater flexibility to members and more. He worked tirelessly to boost the local’s profile throughout northern Ohio and West Virginia and demonstrated a willingness to think outside the box in taking on the challenges our union faces.

Seven years later, upon the request of the SMART General Executive Council, Coleman moved to Washington, DC to work as SMART’s director of business and management relations. Shortly after that, General President Sellers asked Coleman to become assistant to the general president, a position in which he served until May 31, 2023.