FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2002
For more information, contact:
John B. Lueken
smacnasl@swbell.net
(314)427-7117

HISTORIC $100,000 COMMITMENT FROM
ST. LOUIS SHEET METAL CONTRACTORS

SMACNA of St. Louis has made a $100,000 grant to The New Horizons Foundation -- A Sheet Metal Industry Initiative. This new investment in the Foundation will help fund innovative management education for the sheet metal and HVAC industry.

In announcing the commitment, Chapter President, Howard Stine (Charles E. Jarrell Contracting Company) stated, "Our Chapter has played a key role in our industry for more than fifty years. We look forward to the opportunity to take a leading role in helping to implement the New Horizons Foundation's programs as it puts in place an aggressive educational agenda."

St. Louis is the first SMACNA Chapter to join the Foundation's Summit Council. "As a major investor in the Foundation, St. Louis will have an active voice in selecting the programs and projects to be commissioned with Foundation funds. We know that our involvement will be important long-term. That's very important to us," remarked Chapter member and Foundation Vice Chair, Butch Welsch (Welsch Heating & Cooling Company).

The New Horizons Foundation, organized in 2001, has received industry commitments totaling $3.5 million towards an initial goal of $8 million. Three innovative projects are being developed during the Foundation's inaugural year: Quantifying the Cumulative Impact of Change Orders on Sheet Metal Contractors; The Future of Union Sheet Metal .