Pictured in photo is SMWIA President Michael J. Sullivan receiving his award from John J. Sweeney,Chairman of D.C. Friends of Ireland.

Michael J. Sullivan, General President of the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA), was this year's honoree at the Washington, D.C., Friends of Ireland St. Patrick's Celebration and Irish Festival, an event that raises money for children's programs. Sullivan is a second generation Sheet Metal Worker, whose great-great-grandfather came to America, from Dublin, before the Civil War. He is also co-chair of NEMIC, a joint labor/management trust created by the SMWIA and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA), the administrative entity behind the TABB program.

A strong supporter of the TABB program, Sullivan emphasizes that now it is more important than ever to become TABB Certified, "In these uncertain times, TABB training and certification enhances job security and marketability for Sheet Metal Workers. TABB is creating new opportunities to explore for our members in the U.S. and Canada."