A Seat at the Table: Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling Visits SMCA to Discuss Workforce
The Philadelphia region is entering one of the most significant construction and economic development cycles in decades. Major investments in pharmaceuticals, data centers, infrastructure, manufacturing, healthcare, and public works are creating unprecedented opportunities for contractors throughout the region. Yet one question remains at the center of nearly every conversation about growth:
Where will the workforce come from?
That question brought Acting Secretary of Labor Keith Sonderling to Prime Sheet Metal and the offices of the Sheet Metal Contractors Association of Philadelphia & Vicinity (SMCA) this spring for a discussion with industry leaders about workforce development, apprenticeship, recruitment, and the future of the skilled trades.
Following a tour of Prime Sheet Metal's fabrication facility led by Prime Sheet Metal President Dominic Bonitatis, Sonderling joined SMCA Executive Director Pete Jenkins, Ernest J. Menold of Ernest D. Menold, Inc., Jennifer Lohr of Fisher Balancing Company, and SMACNA Executive Director of Government and Political Affairs Stan Kolbe for a roundtable discussion focused on the opportunities and challenges facing the construction industry.
Throughout the conversation, one theme emerged repeatedly: demand for skilled labor continues to grow.
From pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities and healthcare projects to data centers, shipbuilding, and large-scale infrastructure investments, contractors across the country are competing for the same workforce. At the same time, experienced tradespeople are retiring at a rate that continues to outpace new entrants into the industry.
The discussion highlighted how Philadelphia's sheet metal industry is responding to those challenges through registered apprenticeship programs, workforce recruitment initiatives, veteran outreach efforts, and partnerships between contractors and labor.
Local contractors shared examples of programs already helping to strengthen the workforce pipeline. Among them was Heavy Metal Summer Experience, a growing national initiative that introduces high school students to careers in the trades through hands-on learning and exposure to apprenticeship opportunities. Philadelphia will host its first camp this summer through a partnership between contractors and the Local 19 Joint Apprenticeship Training Center.
Participants also discussed successful veteran recruitment initiatives such as SMART Heroes and Helmets to Hardhats, which help transitioning service members connect directly with apprenticeship opportunities and careers in the construction industry.
The conversation extended beyond recruitment alone. Jennifer Lohr highlighted the importance of retention, mentorship, and creating workplace cultures that encourage long-term career growth. Industry leaders noted that attracting new workers is only part of the solution. Developing future supervisors, project managers, and company leaders is equally important to sustaining the industry's growth.
Throughout the discussion, participants emphasized the value of the long-standing partnership between SMCA contractors and SMART Local 19. Together, contractors and labor continue to invest heavily in apprenticeship training, continuing education, safety programs, and workforce development initiatives that provide workers with family-sustaining careers while helping contractors meet growing market demand.
As construction activity continues to expand across the region, the importance of those investments is becoming increasingly clear. The future of the industry will depend not only on the projects being built, but on the people prepared to build them.
For Philadelphia's sheet metal contractors, workforce development is not simply an industry issue. It is the foundation upon which future growth, opportunity, and success will be built.