Partnering with SMART Local 359 and Phoenix Sheet Metal JATC, SMACNA Arizona led Arizona Corporation Commissioners Boyd W. Dunn and Justin Olson on a tour of the Sheet Metal JATC and drove a dialogue on the importance of energy efficiency for Arizona’s evolving economy.

Commissioner Dunn expressed the importance of energy efficiency whether using coal or solar energy. Commissioner Olson was impressed with the quality of training of our next generation of skilled workers who are able to graduate with little to no debt.

Albert Blanco, the Training Coordinator at the Sheet Metal JATC, led the tour and emphasized the importance of the training and technical skills that are provided at the JATC.

“One of the biggest challenges employers face is finding skilled workers, and that’s especially true in fast-growing industries like energy efficiency,” said Blanco during the roundtable discussion.

Blanco also emphasized the importance of partnerships in sustaining a skilled workforce.

“The Arizona chapter of SMACNA invests in apprenticeship training,” Blanco asserts. “For these contractors, it is an investment in the future workforce that promotes safe, high quality and efficient work on Arizona projects.”

SMACNA Arizona Trustee Allen Hendrix spoke of the outstanding work done in the training center and on jobsites, and how SMACNA partners with the JATC to support training the sheet metal workforce.

“Jobs in the sheet metal industry hold a lot of promise,” asserts Allen Hendrix. “Increasing energy costs are driving energy efficiency upgrades, and the work we do and the equipment we install helps to reduce energy costs and promote efficiency.”

Jim Dinan, president and CEO of Bel-Aire Mechanical, described CryusOne as a recent project that is a shining example of energy efficiency. Located in Chandler, CyrusOne is the largest data center in Arizona with a one-million-square-foot campus.

“Bel-Aire provided the design assistance and installed the cooling units,” said Dinan. “The project has achieved LEED Silver designation and features highly efficient power and cooling.”

By highlighting training, expertise and a commitment to energy efficiency, SMACNA-Arizona and the Sheet Metal JATC promoted their skilled workforce to Corporation Commissioners Dunn and Olson.