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Carol Duncan

CEO and owner of General Sheet Metal

Carol Duncan joined GSM in 1981 to help with the books and went on to become a 100 percent WBE owner, turning the fledgling sheet metal company into a 100 percent employee-owned enterprise.

鈥淚 wanted to create a legacy and a way for our co-workers to create additional family wealth, giving them an opportunity to control their future and build something they can truly own,鈥� she said. 鈥淎t this time in our history when recruiting is tough and company culture continues to be a motivational factor in people鈥檚 decision to join a company, this seems like a unique opportunity to be different as an employer.鈥�

Duncan is part of women business leaders and women in construction groups, helping lead the charge to bring more women into the sheet metal trade and construction industry.

鈥淲e are finally arriving at a point where women are more widely acknowledged and accepted in the construction industry. Women bring a different skill set to construction careers that provides different perspectives, driving different questions, different decisions and different outcomes,鈥� she said.

Duncan has served on multiple boards and committees, ranging from local community colleges and industry-specific organizations to now serving as president-elect of SMACNA (The Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors鈥� National Association).

鈥淐arol has been a spokesperson on the local, state and national levels on topics such as healthcare and pension reform,鈥� said Kelly True, GSM鈥檚 vice president. 鈥淪he has inspired many women into the trade and built an amazing network of women business leaders, and has inspired an army of women to get more active by participating in numerous walks and half marathons around the country and globe.鈥�

True noted that during the economic meltdown of 2008-2010, things were tight and work was sparse. Duncan elected to forgo her salary temporarily in order to keep others working and not lay them off.