U.S. Navy veteran and Connecticut resident Jeremy Zeedyk recently joined the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) as the representative for the northeast region. This is a new position put in place to promote certifications through an implementation advisory group, NEMIC administrator David Bernett confirmed.
Zeedyk officially began on Feb. 1 and looks forward to working with local unions and contractors to expand the market and engage members in new and emerging parts of the industry.
During his service in the U.S. Navy, he qualified in submarine warfare, held numerous supervisory positions and security clearances and was awarded two Navy Achievement Medals for service in action during deployments in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom.
After spending a little over four years on a submarine, one might think Zeedyk would have grown tired of being surrounded by metal. However, pursuing a sheet metal apprenticeship upon his honorable discharge in 2004 turned out to be a pretty natural fit. As a sonar technician trained in the science of how sound travels through water depending on pressure and temperature, it wasn’t difficult to translate that know-how into understanding how air and water move through pipes and ductwork.
“The formulas I saw in the book as an apprentice didn’t look foreign to me. They all made sense,” Zeedyk said. He placed first in the testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) category in the National Apprentice Contest in 2008, the year of his graduation from the program at Local 40 in Rocky Hill, Connecticut.
Zeedyk went on to become the head of operations for the Carl Fisher Company, a foreman at the Day and Zimmerman-Millstone Nuclear Power Plant, and a TAB technician at Labco Air and Water Balancing. A certified welder, Zeedyk also is certified as a Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) technician, fire and smoke damper technician, smoke control systems technician and fire and smoke damper supervisor.
At Local 40, Zeedyk quickly took on organizational roles in addition to his work as a welder and TAB technician. Over the years he served as an instructor, recording secretary, organizer, marketing representative and business representative. He worked with a wide range of coalitions to pass legislation and advance interests important to the sheet metal industry.
Though the COVID-19 pandemic did not impact much of his work in the field prior to this new job, Zeedyk said he looks forward to being able to visit and meet people face-to-face again soon.
“It’s easier to build trust with someone when you meet them face-to-face and can look them in the eye,” he said.
Zeedyk brings a dedication to the work that is grounded in knowledge of the industry and a fundamental desire to help members and their loved ones.
“Ultimately, the work that we do affects the people that we do the work for … the things that we accomplish are going to make living conditions better for workers and schoolchildren, give people more opportunities and improve energy efficiency,” he said. “That’s a motivating factor for sure.”
Zeedyk lives in Cromwell, Connecticut, with his wife, Jessica, and their two teenage children, Dylan and Dalila, whom he credits with helping him learn patience and new communication skills.
The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) is a not-for-profit organization jointly funded by the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) and SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. 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 the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) at https://www.nemiconline.org or call 800-458-6525.
