General President Coleman, SMACNA President Martin host BE4ALL Town Hall in Cleveland

The Belonging and Excellence for All initiative, or BE4ALL, is a joint effort by SMART, SMACNA and the International Training Institute (ITI) designed with one goal in mind: strengthening the unionized sheet metal industry. By boosting recruitment and retention, among other things, BE4ALL aims to bring in and keep the best of the best in the industry, benefiting both local unions and signatory contractors.

Even with that goal, though, members have expressed confusion about BE4ALL. Some think of it as a diver­sity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiative. Some think it’s a program put on by just SMART, or just SMACNA. Others don’t know about BE4ALL whatsoever.

That’s why, on July 17, 2025, SMART General President Michael Coleman and SMACNA President Tom Martin hosted the first-ever BE4ALL Town Hall at the Local 33 union hall in Cleveland, Ohio, discussing the initiative and taking questions from the more than 160 in-person attendees and viewers across North America watching via livestream.

In a powerful conversation moderated by Dushaw Hockett, General President Coleman and President Martin discussed actionable strategies for recruiting and supporting the next generation of sheet metal workers. From communication and mentorship to foreperson training and open-door leadership, they highlighted how BE4ALL is raising the standard for both workers and workplaces — benefiting every single member in the process.

“I spoke before about making our industry more competitive and more attractive to end users. We’re able to bring in more members and train more members, and we’re able to retain those members, if we’re out there supporting [each other],” Coleman said. “We all know the more members we bring in and the more that we retain, [that] builds our pensions, helps with our health insurance cost.”

“If you build confidence, you have respect, you have good culture within your organization, your association or your individual contractor, it helps the bottom line,” added Martin.

Both leaders talked about specific accomplishments achieved by BE4ALL so far. Coleman highlighted the Rapid Response Protocol, a guide to preventing and responding to incidents of bias, harassment or harm, calling it “one of the best documents I have ever read in this industry.” Martin, meanwhile, touched on the BE4ALL website, beforall.org, which has best practices, Toolbox Talks and other resources readily available.

In addition to their moderated discussion, Coleman and Martin took questions from viewers and in-person attendees. Questions spanned a range of topics, including how SMART and SMACNA are working to recruit high school students; how we can better retain the members we recruit, particularly when we know that one bad experience is enough to deter many other potential members in a given community; how we can continue to prioritize mentorship in our industry; and how rank-and-file members can get involved with BE4ALL.

In a defining moment, one virtual attendee asked if BE4ALL was lowering the standards of quality and craftsmanship in the industry.

“Absolutely not,” General President Coleman responded. “In fact, it’s the opposite. It’s about raising the standards for everybody. Along with the support comes the expectation that you’re going to be the best you can be in this industry. That’s what this is about … it makes us all better, it gives us that competitive edge.”