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Our Quality Communities, Built to Last by Skilled, Local Craftspeople.


WHY HIRE US?

If you want your project built to operate as it was intended, then you need responsible local contractors with highly skilled workers who understand energy efficiency principles to install your building’s mechanical and electrical systems. Proper design & build by our trained experts is key to an efficiently running building for our customers. We also service what we install, so the end customer can be sure that their equipment is always maintained properly to manufacturers specifications, resulting in lower lifetime operating cost with minimized down time. We are responsible and reputable stewards of our communities, who invest our time and talents into building the communities that we want to live in. We help to provide opportunity to a percentage of our community through apprenticeships with family supporting pay and benefits.


Why BUYING LOCAL REALLY MATTERS to our communities:

When you hire a responsible local contractor from one of these directories you can be sure that our community will benefit exponentially because you’re buying local, so the money spent with a local contractor stays here and multiplies. Due to the local multiplier effect one thousand dollars, entering the local economy and circulating 10 times, acts like $10 thousand – increasing revenue and income opportunities for other local businesses. When you hire an out of area/out of state contractor 95% of the money that they received goes to their community instead of ours! If you like nice roads, good schools, decent infrastructure, prompt police and fire services, then buying local is the way to go because tax dollars spent here, stay here and pay for these services!

What Peoria County has to say about buying local:

What the City of Peoria has to say about buying local:

What The American Independent Business Alliance has to say about buying local:

https://www.amiba.net/resources/multiplier-effect/


Our Contractor Trade Directories

Electrician Contractors

Sheet Metal (HVAC Contractors)

Mechanical Insulator Contractors

Plumber/Pipefitter Contractors


“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” – Ben Franklin


ABOUT US

The Central Illinois Mechanical Allied Crafts Council is composed of Electricians, Mechanical Insulators, Sheet Metal Workers, Plumbers and Pipe-fitters. We are local craftspeople who rely on our communities to support us (and in turn themselves) by hiring LOCAL signatory contractors. Our members collectively self-fund specialized training to educate our journey-people and apprentices. It is not paid for by any PUBLIC FUNDS.  There is also no College Debt to the trainee. We test and then interview the top percentage of those candidates to allow entry into our apprenticeship programs. When contractors need a new apprentice, we select them from that pool, drug test them and enter them into extensive training, that when completed typically corresponds in classroom and field hours to between an associates and a bachelors degree. The length of apprenticeship ranges between 2.5 – 5 years depending on the trade and classification in the trade. In order to stay advanced when the apprenticeship is completed, there are various secondary courses as well as updated requirement training that is available. We are, and have been a crucial, contributing part of our communities for many, many years. With your understanding of the importance of buying local and supporting our community, we intend to remain that way!

We’ve been a responsible, contributing part of this community as an organization since at least:

S.M.A.R.T. (S.M.W.I.A.) – January 25, 1888

U.A. – October 11, 1889

I.B.E.W. – November 21, 1891

INSULATORS – July 7, 1903

“ Because peace of mind is an extremely valuable commodity, excellence in quality doesn’t cost more, it pays …dividends.”  – Pablo Ardilla

Why Not Choose a Cheap, Irresponsible, Contractor?


There are irresponsible contractors from both inside and outside of this community that do not provide the extensive training for their workers that our programs do. If the employees are “trained”, the employee typically has only 9 months of basic household HVAC and appliance repair courses that they personally pay for, with no reimbursement. Irresponsible contractors do not support the workers with the same level of financial care that our contractors agree to. Irresponsible contractors do not pay for family or individual healthcare insurance for their employees. This issue combined with destitute level rates of pay contribute to sky-rocketing cost increases in premiums for the responsible rest of us because the employees sometimes are also on government assistance and can you guess who pays for that? The responsible rest of us, the irresponsible contractor is content with those who are civically responsible footing the bill. Sometimes rather than actually legally hiring an employee, the irresponsible contractor makes their worker an independent contractor. That way he doesn’t have to pay for workers compensation insurance or payroll taxes. Other times the employees of irresponsible contractors are being exploited as undocumented workers with conditions that for these workers can be similar to modern-day slavery. If you want to know how you can tell the difference between a responsible local contractor and one who isn’t, responsible local contractors are on these directory lists.


“The bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low price is forgotten.” – Ben Franklin


CRAFTS

 Electricians – IBEW Local 197

I.B.E.W. 197
2407 Beich Rd.
Bloomington, IL 61704-5270
Map

Phone: (309) 827-4868
E-mail:  info@ibew197.org

 Sheet Metal Workers – SMART Local 1

Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (S.M.A.R.T.) Local 1
840 West Birchwood Street
Morton, IL 61550
Map

Phone: (309) 682-5677
E-mail: smw1vicki@gmail.com

Insulators Local 17

Heat and Frost Insulators
18520 Spring Creek Drive
Tinley Park, IL 60477  Map

Phone:  (708) 468-8000
E-mail: Jim@local17insulators.com                                                                                           

Plumbers and Pipefitters – UA Local 99

The United Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters
406 S. Eldorado Road
Bloomington, IL 61704
Map

Phone: (309) 434-5640
E-mail: local99@uacote.com