SMACNA Greater Chicago welcomed Congressman Mike Quigley to the September 8 Membership Meeting, where he offered a glimpse into the fiscal and political challenges facing Chicago.

Industry Night ’26 brought 111 SMACNA Greater Chicago members to Joe’s Live in Rosemont for an evening of networking, cocktails and great food.

SMACNA Greater Chicago members and their families gathered on August 15 for our annual Summer Outing — this year taking place at the Chicago Air and Water Show!

The 2026 Annual Golf Outing brought SMACNA Greater Chicago members, partners and sponsors together for a day of sunshine and friendly competition at Stonebridge Country Club.

SMACNA Greater Chicago’s Young Professionals came together last November for a volunteer event with Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, Illinois. Together, our group of 30 members packed and boxed more than 31,968 meals for children in need around the world.

Labor and employment attorney Christina Wernick of Laner Muchin joined us as the featured speaker for our May membership meeting.

SMACNA Greater Chicago members heard from Dan Allen of CISCO at our March Member Meeting, learning how the labor-management organization supports union construction through workforce development, public outreach and political advocacy.

From June 4-7, SMACNA Greater Chicago members gathered at Chatham Bars Inn on Cape Cod for our 2026 Annual Conference, enjoying industry updates, networking and unforgettable coastal experiences. The trip blended business with fun, including a day in Nantucket, a lighthouse tour and plenty of opportunities to reconnect and make new memories together.

In April, SMACNA Greater Chicago member company The Hill Group hosted a full campus tour as part of the 2026 SMACNA Fab Forum, welcoming nearly 275 attendees from across the industry.

SMACNA Greater Chicago’s Young Professionals came together last November for a volunteer event with Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, Illinois. Together, our group of 30 members packed and boxed more than 31,968 meals for children in need around the world.

SMACNA Greater Chicago and Local 265 showed what real labor-management partnership looks like during February’s 2026 Partners in Progress Conference.

SMACNA Greater Chicago members enjoyed a high-energy game at the United Center on January 4, where Tyler Bertuzzi led the Blackhawks to a 3–2 victory over the Vegas Golden Knights.

SMACNA Greater Chicago’s Young Professionals came together last November for a volunteer event with Feed My Starving Children in Aurora, Illinois. Together, our group of 30 members packed and boxed more than 31,968 meals for children in need around the world.

SMACNA Greater Chicago members kicked off 2026 at our January Member Meeting with an economic update from Kurt Funderburg of Byline Bank. The discussion explored the K-shaped recovery, the growing influence of AI and key considerations for inflation, labor and long-term financial planning.

On September 5, SMART Local 265 celebrated the graduation of the Apprenticeship Class of 2025!

SMART Local 265 celebrated the grand opening of its new Union Hall and Training Center in Downers Grove with a ribbon cutting, facility tours and member picnic.

SMACNA Greater Chicago’s 2025 Annual Golf Outing was a sold-out success, bringing 128+ golfers together at Stonebridge Country Club for a day of friendly competition and networking.

Industry Night 2025 brought together 160 SMACNA Greater Chicago members at Joe’s Live in Rosemont for an evening of networking, music and cocktails.

On July 12, SMACNA Greater Chicago members set sail aboard the Chicago Odyssey for a fun summer brunch cruise with amazing views and good company.

This summer, SMACNA Greater Chicago members DeKalb Mechanical and Sheet Metal Werks hosted Heavy Metal Summer Experience camps.

Travis Voss, SMACNA’s Director of Innovative Technology and Fabrication, visited with Chicago contractors during our March 11 membership meeting.

Two financial professionals spoke at our Young Executives of SMACNA networking event on March 27 to discuss how understanding personal finance can positively impact achieving your long-term goals.

The 2025 Annual Conference, held from April 24-27, was our most well-attended ever! Members and their families enjoyed a mix of exciting activities, incredible entertainment and delicious food.

SMACNA leaders from across the country attended the 2025 Construction Employers of America (CEA) National Issues Conference in Washington, D.C. from May 5-7.

Our May 13 membership meeting was among the most well-attended recently, with the topic of tariffs on everyone’s mind.

Matt Gugala, SMART Local 265 Business Manager, joined a full house at Gibsons Oak Brook as the featured presenter during our November 12 membership meeting.

Join us in welcoming the newest addition to the SMACNA Greater Chicago Board of Directors: Louis Ochoa of Ochoa Mechanical Group.

As each year winds down, we look forward to celebrating the holiday season during our Holiday Dinner & Dance.

The 2025 Safety & Health Conference — an event in partnership with SMACNA, MCAA and TAUC — took place January 13-16 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.

Weather around the holidays is unpredictable, so we got a little nervous when the forecast called for the first snow of the season on November 21 — the date of our group volunteering activity.

In October 2024, a group of 57 SMACNA Greater Chicago members and guests traveled to Palm Desert, California, for the SMACNA Annual Convention.

Speaker Sonya Shearer will give a 30-minute presentation on “Generational Communication: Speaking the Same Language” so members can better understand ways to foster meaningful dialogue across generations.

Our sold-out Summer Outing on July 21 was an action-packed day at Wrigley Field!

Speaker Sonya Shearer will give a 30-minute presentation on “Generational Communication: Speaking the Same Language” so members can better understand ways to foster meaningful dialogue across generations.

Our SMACNAPALOOZA Industry Night event keeps getting bigger and better every year! We had another great turnout for our 4th annual networking event on September 19, with more than 180 members registered and 12 exhibitors joining us at Joe’s Live.

Speaker Sonya Shearer will give a 30-minute presentation on “Generational Communication: Speaking the Same Language” so members can better understand ways to foster meaningful dialogue across generations.

The YES group and guests gathered at Topgolf Naperville for a presentation on “Generational Communication: Speaking the Same Language,” delivered by leadership development consultant Sonya Shearer.

SMACNA Greater Chicago is proud to help members prepare for success by offering a variety of meetings and educational programming through the year.

The nationally-recognized Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE) came to the Chicagoland area this summer.

On March 10, SMACNA Greater Chicago members gathered at the United Center for our annual Chicago Blackhawks Night.

The 2024 Annual Conference took place from June 12-16 at Fairmont Banff Springs in Alberta, Canada.

Thanks to the passage of several large infrastructure and economic development bills in the past year, the construction industry is experiencing a massive boom across the nation.

SMACNA Greater Chicago celebrated the holiday season during our annual Holiday Dinner and Installation of Officers.

We’re excited to once again take our Annual Conference to the Fairmont Banff Springs

On February 22, we held a well-attended industry favorite event — Apprentice for a Day! Members spent the day at SMART Local 265 for a hands-on training event that gave them the opportunity to gain insight into the world of sheet metal fieldwork.

The 2024 Partners in Progress Conference took place February 27-28 in Orlando, Florida.

Tech guru Beth Ziesenis of Your Nerdy Best Friend joined us during our September membership meeting.

On August 2, we hosted our Annual Golf Outing at Stonebridge Country Club.

Tech guru Beth Ziesenis of Your Nerdy Best Friend joined us during our September membership meeting.

This September, we had our best turnout yet for our 3rd annual SMACNAPALOOZA Industry Night!

Check out our top three industry events — including local and national options — to put on your calendar this year.

We’re excited to offer a NEW benefit! Moving forward, the newest value-add for SMACNA Greater Chicago members is a 50% reimbursement on your registration fee when you attend any SMACNA National educational program.

Despite the questionable weather, we had a great turnout of more than 30 attendees for our first YES event of the year! Alex Willis, CEO of Leadership Surge and noted construction industry leadership speaker, joined us for an engaging presentation on “The Have It All Lifestyle.”

Holiday Dinner Dance 2022

Membership meetings bring national and local leaders

The weather struggled a bit on the day of our 2022 SMACNA Greater Chicago Golf Outing.

We had a terrific turnout for our 2nd annual SMACNAPALOOZA Industry Night event at Joe’s Live in September!

SMACNA Greater Chicago welcomed Warren Jacobsen, president and founder of Horizon Capital Advisors, LLC, to our September 6 membership meeting.

The 2022 SMACNA Annual Convention took place at The Broadmoor in Colorado Springs.

Upcoming Meetings & Events

On June 16-17, the Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 JATC hosted an open house for signatory contractors and SMACNA Greater Chicago members to learn more about how the apprenticeship program works.

You’ve probably noticed people experience and respond to situations differently.

Our 2022 Annual Conference took place from May 19-22 on Hilton Head Island.

We were excited to welcome John Daniel, SMART Local 265 President and Business Manager, as our featured speaker during the March Regular Membership Meeting.

This fall, we were able to resume in-person membership meetings. Both were well-attended, and great speakers kicked off each event.

In September, we got the band back together for our SMACNA Greater Chicago 2021 Industry Night with a fresh new theme —SMACNAPALOOZA!

SMACNA Greater Chicago members and their families had a great time during the 2021 SMACNA 77th Annual Convention in beautiful Maui, Hawaii, in October.

December is always a busy time of year, but we were excited to give our members a chance to socialize, connect and let loose during our Holiday Dinner Dance.

This year’s event sold out in record time, with 130 golfers joining us at the beautiful Midlothian Country Club for an afternoon of competitive play and socializing.

On July 29, we were excited to host our first Young Executives of SMACNA (YES) event in two years!

The Columbus Blue Jackets came out strong in the first period, scoring three of their five goals.

SMACNA Greater Chicago was honored to have Vince Sandusky, Chief Executive Officer of SMACNA, to speak at our January 8 membership meeting.

Contractors, chapter executives, business agents and managers gathered at the beautiful and newly renovated Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace in Orlando, Florida, for the first Partners in Progress Conference since 2012.

Enjoy business, brews and a taste of Bavaria during this year’s Industry Night and Associate Member Expo at Hofbrauhaus Chicago!

You’re invited to join us for the Annual Conference from June 13-17, 2018 at the Fairmont Banff Springs in Banff, Alberta, Canada!

On August 16, we hosted our first Young Executives of SMACNA (YES) event at Joe’s Live in Rosemont. More than 50 attendees enjoyed cocktails, appetizers and lively industry conversation.

The SMACNA Greater Chicago 2017 Golf Outing on August 7 at Midlothian Country Club was another well-attended tournament! 190 golfers played in this years outing.