It’s been a busy spring across our industry — that’s a good thing. Data center work continues to surge throughout the Midwest, tenant improvement projects are keeping crews moving and contractors across the board are seeing strong numbers. By most measures, this is shaping up to be a good year.

At the same time, there’s a reality behind all that momentum: we don’t have enough people to do all the work in front of us. Every contractor on the SMACNA Greater Chicago Board is looking for skilled workers right now. And as we continue negotiations with Local 73, maintaining a strong labor-management partnership remains a top priority. We need to work through these challenges together because our ability to grow depends on our ability to staff the work.

That’s why recruitment has to stay front and center. We need to show up at high school career fairs and start having conversations with young people before they’ve already decided the trades aren’t for them. This industry offers real earning potential, stability and long-term opportunity, and we need to do a better job telling that story. The average age in our workforce continues to climb, and if we don’t build the pipeline now, we’ll feel it in the years ahead.

Beyond people, we also need to be thinking about tech tools that can help us work smarter. AI can assist with estimating, reviewing specs and improving office operations. But it can’t replace the skilled people doing the work in the field. If anything, the more efficient technology makes us behind the scenes, the more it highlights the value of experienced craftworkers on the jobsite. That’s something we should be proud of, and something we need to communicate more publicly because too many people still picture this industry the way it looked 30 years ago.

With tariffs, policy shifts and economic uncertainty creating challenges, there’s no shortage of outside noise. Some of that is outside our control. But what we can control is how we work together. Whether you’re on the contractor side or the labor side, in the office or in the field, I want SMACNA Greater Chicago to continue being an organization where we’re moving in the same direction. If one part of the industry succeeds, we all should.

I’m grateful for the opportunity to lead this chapter, and I’m excited about what’s ahead. There’s plenty of work to do. Fortunately, that’s what we do best.

Tom Coonan
President, SMACNA Greater Chicago