LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
SMACNA Arizona, the Arizona Chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors National Association, has recognized Carlos Ramirez of Ramirez Mechanical Systems, Inc. (left) with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Jim Dinan, a SMACNA Arizona trustee and president of Bel-Aire Mechanical, Inc., presented him with the award.

Ramirez, who recently retired from the SMACNA Arizona board of trustees after serving for more than 20 years on various committees and boards, was recognized for his contributions to the industry spanning the last 45 years. He founded Ramirez Mechanical Systems in 1985. The company was lauded as the 1997 Minority Contractor of the Year for Minority Enterprise Development week (MED week). In 1998 Ramirez was named Small Business Person of the Year for the Arizona District by the Small Business Administration (SBA) and in 2002 he was named Minority Subcontractor of the Year by the Associated Minority Contractors of America (Arizona Chapter).

SMACNA Arizona contractors are leaders in the HVAC industry. The organization is committed to quality work and ensuring quality workers for the future. SMACNA is an international association of union contractors in the sheet metal and air conditioning industry representing 4,500 contributing contractor firms. The organization is focused on upholding the highest standards of quality and excellence in all facets of the sheet metal and air conditioning industry. To demonstrate that commitment, SMACNA Arizona has contributed more than $2.5 million statewide toward skills training and apprenticeships programs. For more information on SMACNA Arizona, visit www.smacna-az.org or call (602) 734-0214.

Apprentices were selected by the Joint Apprentice Training Committee (JATC) from nearly 140 current students, based on the input of instructors and evaluations submitted by the worksite foreman. The apprentices were recognized for their leadership, willingness to help others, ability to work through problems and other practical skills.

Pictured are (l-r): SMACNA board of trustee president John Sapien of Bel-Aire Mechanical; honorees Greg Suydam of Premier Mechanical Corp., first-year apprentice; Geneva Clark, second-year apprentice; Jody Youngbear of Dynamic Systems Inc., third-year apprentice; Jared New of Linc Services, fourth-year apprentice; and Nicklas Lake, fifth-year apprentice; as well as board of trustee member Nick Ganem of Metro Mechanical, a Johnson Controls Company.

Attendees heard presentations designed to foster lean thinking within their companies, including the seven types of waste common to operations; how lean is being used successfully in construction to drive out waste and add value; and the lean techniques to help a company be more competitive.

Pictured are (l-r): executive directors Carl Triphahn of P.I.P.E., Debra Margraf of NECA's Arizona Chapter and Carol Goguen of SMACNA Arizona, along with Doug Pruitt, chairman and CEO of Sundt Construction, a guest speaker at the workshop.

The craftsmen were recognized for their innovative approach in finding a cost-effective way to repair and maintain temperature levels for a client's cooling towers.

Entries were judged by a panel from SMACNA Arizona based on the significance of a solution formulated from a given challenge related to the heating, ventilating and air conditioning industry.

Specifically, the award cites Q.C. Analytical Services' development of a solution to the client's cooling towers, which were having problems achieving the desired water temperatures during the hot summer months - a problem called "short cycling." The team decided that the cooling towers needed velocity stacks on top to maintain the temperature, but the stacks were out of the client's price range. Instead, the craftsmen took measurements and collaborated on the design of a new stack that could be built by a local sheet metal shop at a much lower price.

SMACNA Arizona contractors are leaders in the HVAC industry. The organization's technical manuals are the accepted standards for sheet metal and air conditioning and they are constantly striving to update them or publish new editions to move the industry forward in the areas of new applications, new materials, safety and training.

The union contractors who comprise the SMACNA Arizona chapter are dedicated to progressive actions that improve both the trade and the construction industry. SMACNA Arizona is committed to quality work and ensuring quality workers for the future. SMACNA is an international association of union contractors in the sheet metal and air conditioning industry representing 4,500 contributing contractor firms. The organization is focused on upholding the highest standards of quality and excellence in all facets of the sheet metal and air conditioning industry. To demonstrate that commitment, SMACNA Arizona has contributed more than $2.5 million statewide toward skills training and apprenticeships programs.

LOCAL CONTRACTOR RECEIVE SAFETY EXCELLENCE AWARD

SMACNA Arizona, the Arizona Chapter of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association, has announced that University Mechanical of Tempe has won a national 2008 Safety Excellence Award.

University Mechanical was recognized as the safest SMACNA contractor firm nationally in the category of more than 500,000 man-hours worked per year. It is the only Arizona company to be recognized.

The SMACNA Safety Excellence Award Program (SSEAP) is an annual program which enables SMACNA to track the safety history of the industry and recognize members for outstanding safety performance.

The results for the 2008 SSEAP represent over 48 million man-hours worked in the 2007 calendar year. Two hundred thirteen members participated in the 2008 survey with nearly 50 percent responding "online" through the SMACNA website, a significant improvement from previous years.

Of particular note, 65 member companies reported "zero injury incidents". As a group, these 65 companies worked over 5 million man-hours without an OSHA recordable injury or illness.

"This is an exceptional accomplishment that reflects the high level of safety culture and awareness within these organizations," said Carol Goguen, executive director of SMACNA Arizona. "To have one of our contractors win this prestigious award two years in a row demonstrates to the industry that SMACNA Arizona contractors lead the industry through their commitment to safety, along with their professionalism and ongoing training."