WASHINGTON - Mark C. Watson, of Climate Engineers Inc., Cedar Rapids, Iowa, has been elected by the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA) Board of Directors to serve as president. His term in office began at the close of SMACNA's 60th annual convention.

"We are contemplating ways to meet the challenge of bringing future leaders into SMACNA," Watson announced. It is his intent that a base of future leaders be identified and encouraged to participate on SMACNA committees, then given the opportunity to become members of SMACNA's Board of Directors and Executive Committee.

A member of SMACNA's Board from 1995 to 1999, Watson is vice-chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee as well as a member of the Investment Committee. He is also the chairman of the Change Orders Task Force and co-chairman of the SMACNA/SMWIA Best Practices Market Expansion Committee.

A former chairman of the Business Management Committee, the Convention Committee, and the Marketing Task Force, Watson was a member of the Strategic Planning Committee, the Products and Programs Coordinating Committee, and the Convention Sponsorship Task Force.

A past president of the Sheet Metal Contractors of Iowa Inc. - Cedar Rapids, Watson currently serves as a trustee on the chapter's Health and Welfare Fund and Pension Fund. He is a past member of the chapter's Bargaining Committee.

Watson began his career in the sheet metal industry as a project manager in 1975. He now serves as secretary/treasurer of Climate Engineers Inc., a family-owned business with more than $17 million in revenue. The firm operates two full-service HVAC and mechanical contracting shops in Cedar Rapids and Rock Island, Ill.

Publication date: 11/10/2003