Contractors Teach (Business) Pilot Apprentice Class
The pilot program “Understanding the Real Costs of Running a Sheet Metal Contracting Business” was offered to 4th year apprentices at the San Jose Joint Apprenticeship Training Center on August 21.
Designed by Bay Area SMACNA and facilitated by long-term Bay Area SMACNA training partner Kevin Dougherty, the program was a hit with the students, who gained additional insight on how BAS members price work to be successful and competitive.
During the afternoon session, Jeremy Day, Vice President of Silicon Valley Mechanical, and Celio Melo, V.P. of Operations at West Coast Architectural Sheet Metal, answered questions submitted by the students, sharing stories and key insights on how they manage their companies. After generating a mock bid for a project, students were surprised to discover more the about hidden costs of running a business and what typical profit margins are in the region. Day and Melo elaborated on labor and overhead costs companies face, provided examples on how their organization measures success and reinforced why the productivity of every employee matters to outperform non-signatory competitors.
The initial feedback for the program was very positive, leading to its future availability to subsequent 4th year BTSM apprentices on a rotational basis. If you are interested in participating or want to learn more, please contact the BAS office.
