The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) has hired Ohio native Cassandra Kline as director of building construction technology, and Vince Alvarado, a longtime business manager for Sheet Metal Workers Local 49 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, has been named the Fund’s new director of implementation. Read more about him in a separate write up. 

Kline now serves as a field representative to 150 local unions in the United States and Canada and is responsible for creating and implementing strategies for the use of new and existing technologies to expand skills and opportunities for members of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers and signatory employers. 

Kline, a second-generation sheet metal worker, graduated the sheet metal apprenticeship in 2020 and worked to gain the knowledge and skills to be hired as a part-time instructor at her alma mater, Sheet Metal Workers Local 33. Before being hired at NEMIC, she worked as a field supervisor for the testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) division and a service manager. 

She said her rise in the field is a testament to how the sheet metal industry provides opportunities to anyone willing to put in the time and effort.  

“Be prepared for the opportunities. Show up, work hard and learn everything you can,” she said. “I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a great team. I’m learning every single day and have great mentors looking out for me and helping guide me along the way.” 

The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) is a not-for-profit organization jointly managed by the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation (SMART) workers and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA). NEMIC identifies opportunities, seeking to create or expand employment for SMART members and programs that assist SMACNA contractors.  

For more information on emerging market opportunities in the sheet metal and air conditioning industry, contact NEMIC at https://www.nemiconline.org or by calling 800-458-6525.