New Horizons Foundation

What New Horizons Foundation does

New Horizons Foundation (NHF) is a nonprofit industry research foundation founded in 2001 and domiciled in Chantilly, Virginia, that serves HVAC and sheet metal contractors — primarily members of the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA). The foundation's core product is a library of 50+ proprietary research reports, white papers, implementation manuals, and benchmarking studies covering business management, project execution, organization and people, and industry trends. Studies are produced in collaboration with FMI Corporation, a construction industry consultancy, and academic researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Penn State University, and Marquette University.

The foundation operates a self-service e-commerce bookstore at newhorizonsfoundation.org where individual publications are sold at prices ranging from free to $100, alongside a parallel distribution channel that makes the same content available free or at a discount to SMACNA members through the smacna.org member portal. A small in-house team (headcount 11-50) curates the research agenda, accepts external proposals, and maintains the publication catalog.

Revenue comes from two streams: per-report publication sales and a tiered Summit Council contribution program. The Summit Council program accepts donations from contractors, SMACNA chapters, and industry partners across nine tiers ranging from $100 (Delegate) to $300,000+ (Premier), with SMACNA itself a Premier-level contributor. The organization does not publicly disclose financial results. The foundation's strategic focus has expanded in 2023-2024 into workforce development content, including onboarding, mentoring, and trade-worker recruitment research, addressing the industry's labor pipeline challenges.

Name

New Horizons Foundation

Legal name

New Horizons Foundation

Website

https://newhorizonsfoundation.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

New Horizons Foundation is a nonprofit research foundation, founded in 2001 and based in Chantilly, Virginia, that produces and sells proprietary industry research reports and white papers for HVAC and sheet metal contractors, primarily SMACNA members, through an e-commerce bookstore and the SMACNA member portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Industry Research Publications

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Book Publishers (513130)

SIC

Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Manufacturing, Quality & Industrial Operations Reference (Lean, Six Sigma, QA/QC) (EDAGAGAI)

akta.pro secondary industry

Research & Science Grantmaking Foundations (BPAGAKAI)

Keywords

• HVAC industry research
• Sheet metal research
• Construction industry publications
• Workforce development research
• Trade contractor studies

Headquarters

HQ city

Chantilly

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Research Publication Sales: The foundation sells research reports, white papers, and implementation manuals through its online bookstore. Reports are priced individually ranging from free to $100, with products organized by topic including Business Management, Organization & People, Project Execution, and White Papers. Some materials are available free to SMACNA members.
2. Industry Contributions and Donations: The foundation receives financial support through its Summit Council contributor program with multiple tiers (Premier $300,000+, Champion $200,000+, Summit Counselor $100,000+, Summit Circle $50,000+, Patron $25,000+, Statesman $10,000+, Ambassador $5,000+, Diplomat $2,500+, Delegate $100+). Contributions come from contractors, SMACNA chapters, and industry partners.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

New Horizons Foundation produces and sells industry-specific research publications for HVAC and sheet metal contractors, including research reports, white papers, implementation manuals, and digital resources. Publications are sold individually through an online bookstore at prices ranging from free to $100, covering topics such as lean construction, prefabrication, project management, workforce development, supply chain disruption, change-order quantification, and risk assessment. The foundation also accepts tiered financial contributions (Delegate to Premier tiers) from contractors, SMACNA chapters, and industry partners to fund its research agenda.

Product overview

New Horizons Foundation is a research foundation serving the HVAC and sheet metal industry that produces and distributes research reports, white papers, industry guides, and digital resources. The organization's portfolio consists primarily of research publications available through its bookstore, covering topics including continuous improvement and lean methodologies (A Comparative Analysis of Continuous Improvement Approaches, Lean Production Principles, Thinking Lean, Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement, Kaizen Blitz), project execution and productivity (Managing Supply Chain Disruption, Project Tracking with Earned Value Approach, Schedule Compression Effects on Labor Productivity, Prefabrication Impact on Productivity, Productivity Tracking), business management and risk (Risk Assessment Model, Tool and Material Management Systems, Exit Strategies, Continuity and Transition Planning), workforce development (Workforce Development in the 21st Century, Onboarding Trade Workers, Mentoring guides), and industry-specific studies (2022 Futures Study Update, Human Dimensions Assessment, Customer Loyalty Benchmark Study). The offerings are sold as individual downloadable or physical publications rather than as a unified software platform.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• A Comparative Analysis of Continuous Improvement Approaches Among Trade-Contractors A collaborative study focused on trade contractors' adoption of continuous improvement principles, methods, and practices, examining successful adopters' processes and business impacts. Sold at $50 through the NHF bookstore.
• Managing Supply Chain Disruption A research paper sharing best practices from SMACNA member contractors on managing supply chain disruption between 2020 and 2022. Sold at $50 through the NHF bookstore.
• The 2022 HVAC and Sheet Metal Industry Futures Study Update The fourth Futures Study providing insights into industry trends and future directions for HVAC and sheet metal contractors. Sold at $100 through the NHF bookstore.
• The NHF Digital Library: Research Report A comprehensive digital library documenting the New Horizons Foundation's research since its origination in 2001. Available free through the NHF bookstore.
• The Changing Risk Environment A report addressing risk awareness and management considerations for sheet metal contractors and construction industry professionals. Sold at $50 through the NHF bookstore.
• The Contractor's Practical Guide on Tool Management A practical guide addressing tool management as an essential capability influencing project profits and contractor success. Sold at $50 through the NHF bookstore.
• Effective Project Close-Out for HVAC/Sheet Metal Contractors: Successful Practices Guide A guide investigating different project close-out processes used by mechanical and sheet metal companies. Sold at $25 through the NHF bookstore.
• Human Dimensions Assessment of Top-Performing Personnel Within Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors A study identifying human dimensions including personality and emotional intelligence factors in top-performing personnel within the sheet metal and HVAC industry. Sold at $25 through the NHF bookstore.
• Organizational Adoption of New Technologies: Best Practices for SMACNA Contractors A report on technology adoption patterns and best practices for SMACNA contractors in adopting new technologies, operational processes, and business strategies.
• The Impact of Prefabrication on Productivity A white paper offering best practices to optimize prefabrication use for peak productivity, informed by industry surveys, case studies, and productivity analyses.
• Off-Site Construction, Modularization, and Sheet Metal Prefabrication: Trends, Current Practice, and Recommendations A white paper focusing on off-site construction from prefabrication and installation perspectives, validating savings and providing recommendations for contractors using prefabricated/modularized systems.

Quantifiable outcome

• Contractors using earned value tracking systems can monitor construction progress, forecast manhours and completion dates, and uncover problems early in projects
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Sheet Metal & Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association (SMACNA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMACNA is the primary organizational partner and sponsor of the New Horizons Foundation. The foundation's research is distributed through SMACNA's member portal, and SMACNA represents the foundation at industry events. Aaron Hilger represents SMACNA on the Summit Council Premier tier.
• FMI CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFMI Corporation is a construction industry consulting and research firm that partners with NHF on multiple research studies. FMI researchers including Phil Warner and Matthew Gierke have authored or co-authored numerous NHF publications on topics including continuous improvement, supply chain disruption, and pandemic productivity impacts.
• University of Wisconsin-MadisonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessor Awad S. Hanna from UW-Madison's Civil Environmental Engineering department collaborated with NHF on research including Quantifying the Cumulative Impact of Change Orders and the Earned Value Approach for project tracking.
• Penn State UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearchers Robert Leicht, John Messner, and Elnaz Asadian from Penn State University co-authored the A Comparative Analysis of Continuous Improvement Approaches Among Trade-Contractors study.
• Continuity and Transition Planning for HVAC and Sheet Metal ContractorsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThis research report summarizes findings from three previous NHF studies: Exit Strategies for HVAC/Sheet Metal Contractors, Mentoring and Coaching Practices, and Leadership Selection Practices for HVAC and Sheet Metal Contractors.
• Marquette UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMark O. Federle, Ph.D., P.E., McShane Chair in Construction Engineering and Management at Marquette University, authored The Impact of Prefabrication on Productivity white paper.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA): Trade association for roofing contractors with an analogous research-and-education publishing model focused on a different specialty trade. Closely comparable in structure: vertical-only content for a trade contractor membership, with technical reports and guides.
• Air Conditioning Contractors of America (ACCA): National trade association serving HVAC contractors with its own research, education, and standards programs. Directly comparable as a vertically focused HVAC trade body that produces and distributes technical and operational content to its contractor membership.
• Plumbing-Heating-Cooling Contractors Association (PHCC): National trade association for p-h-c contractors with significant HVAC and sheet metal membership overlap. Comparable through its educational programs, research products, and associated National Auxiliary (PHCC Educational Foundation), which mirrors NHF's research-and-education structure for an adjacent trade.
• FMI Corporation: Leading construction industry consulting and research firm that co-produces NHF studies on continuous improvement, supply chain disruption, and pandemic productivity. Operates as both NHF's research partner and an adjacent provider of standalone industry research and benchmarking, making FMI the closest behavioral peer.
• American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE): Global research and standards-setting society for HVAC&R professionals that publishes standards, journals, and applied research. Comparable as an HVAC-focused research and publishing organization, although ASHRAE leans technical/standards rather than contractor-operations.
• Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA): Trade association for mechanical contractors that overlaps the HVAC and sheet metal membership base. Operates research, education, and workforce development programs analogous to NHF's, making MCAA the closest inter-trade peer in business model and member-facing content.

Broad incumbents

• Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC): Large national construction trade association spanning multiple specialty trades with its own research, training, and workforce development functions. Comparable in nonprofit industry-research-publishing role but at much broader (multitrade) scope.
• National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA): Trade association for the electrical contracting industry with parallel research, workforce development, and education programs. Comparable as the research-publication and industry-resourcing model for an adjacent specialty trade at larger association scale.
• Construction Industry Institute (CII): Research consortium producing best-practice publications for capital projects across owners, contractors, and academia. Comparable as an industry-funded research and publishing organization, though more focused on large capital projects than on specialty trade contracting.
• National Association of Home Builders (NAHB): Large construction trade association publishing research on residential construction and remodeling markets, including HVAC adoption trends that overlap NHF's residential HVAC study. Comparable in nonprofit industry-research-publishing role but at significantly broader scope and larger membership scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about New Horizons Foundation