Local 265

What Local 265 does

Local 265 (formally Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 265, doing business as SMART 265) is an Illinois labor union founded in 1913 and headquartered at 3110 Woodcreek Drive, Downers Grove. The union represents sheet metal workers and supplies trained, certified craftsmen to signatory contractors across residential, commercial HVAC, industrial/specialty, decking and siding, certified test and air balancing, architectural fabrication, commercial service, residential service, architectural and roofing, fabrication, toilet partitions and lockers, and CAD contractor categories. Local 265 is affiliated with SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers), which serves as the parent international body.

The union's core offerings are apprenticeship training through SMART 265 Education, multi-employer benefit fund administration (Local 265 Welfare Fund, SASMI pension/health/vacation plans, John Hancock supplemental retirement, and the National Coalition of Labor benefits program joined in 2023), and member services including the Members Assistance Program, SMART Disaster Relief, a Job Bank for traveling work, political action, and scholarship programs. Digital infrastructure consists of the Union Fusion dues portal, TotalTrack for work-assignment and traveler's-check tracking, and a structured contractor directory website. Operating geographies are concentrated in Illinois.

Revenue mechanics are not publicly disclosed, consistent with non-profit labor union practice, and consist primarily of member dues routed through the union rather than equity capital. The organization employs 11–50 staff at its Downers Grove headquarters and is governed by union leadership including a Business Manager/President, with no private equity or venture capital ownership applicable. Local 265 operates within a regulated collective bargaining framework and is not a technology or commercial product enterprise; its competitive position is defined by jurisdictional rights, training pipeline, and benefit ecosystem rather than market share of a product category.

Name

Local 265

Legal name

Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 265

Website

https://smart265.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1913

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Local 265 (SMART 265) is an Illinois-based labor union founded in 1913 representing sheet metal workers. It supplies trained craftsmen to HVAC, residential, and industrial contractors while providing apprenticeship training, multi-employer benefit fund management, and member services under SMART international affiliation.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Services

NAICS

Other Specialty Trade Contractors (2389)

SIC

Sheet Metal Work (3444), Construction - Special Trade Contractors (1700)

akta.pro primary industry

Sheet Metal Fabrication & Light-Gauge Metalwork Training (EDAOADAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Sheet Metal & Ductwork Contracting (IMAFALAH)

Keywords

• Sheet metal workers union
• Union apprenticeship training
• Construction trade union
• HVAC union labor
• Member benefit funds

Headquarters

HQ city

Downers Grove

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Core offering

Local 265 (SMART Local 265 / Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 265) is a labor union based in Downers Grove, Illinois, representing sheet metal workers across the region through collective bargaining, contract enforcement, apprenticeship training, and benefit fund administration. The union connects its dues-paying members with signatory contractors in HVAC, architectural, industrial, and specialty sheet metal trades, and provides member services such as benefit fund management and workforce dispatch.

Product overview

Local 265 (SMART 265) is a Sheet Metal Workers union providing a platform of services to its members and affiliated contractors. The core offerings include a contractor directory organized by specialty trades (Commercial HVAC, Residential, Industrial/Specialty, Fabrication, CAD Contractors, etc.), member services (dues payment, job bank, disaster relief, employee assistance program), benefit fund management (retirement savings, health benefits through SASMI and NCL programs), and training/apprenticeship programs. The union also facilitates Letters of Assignment for contractors and provides political engagement resources.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• National Coalition of Labor Benefits (NCL)minorOthers
• SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers)coreOthers
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 265 Benefit FundscoreOthers
• SMART TrainingcoreOthers

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Regional players

• IBEW Local 134 (Chicago): International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers local serving the Chicago area, operating apprenticeship, member benefit, and contractor placement functions structurally identical to Local 265 across the electrical trade.
• Plumbers Local 130 (Chicago): Building trades union serving the Chicago metropolitan area under the same apprenticeship/benefits/contractor-stewardship model as Local 265, but organized around the plumbing trade rather than sheet metal.
• Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters: Regional carpenters union serving the Chicago-area construction market, with the same labor-union operating model — apprenticeship training, benefits administration, and contractor coordination — applied to a different skilled trade in Local 265's geography.
• Operating Engineers Local 150: Heavy equipment operators union local serving Illinois and northwest Indiana construction sites, running a structurally similar apprenticeship, benefit fund, and contractor stewardship program for a different building trade.

Direct peers

• Sheet Metal Workers Local 19: A SMART-affiliated sheet metal workers local covering the Philadelphia region, operating the same apprenticeship, member-services, and contractor-directory model as Local 265 in a comparable Mid-Atlantic construction market.
• Sheet Metal Workers Local 28: A SMART-affiliated sheet metal workers local serving the New York City area, providing equivalent apprenticeship training, benefit fund administration, and labor representation to sheet metal workers in the regional construction industry.

Broad incumbents

• SMART International (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers): International parent labor union for Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers of which Local 265 is a chartered local. Provides national bargaining, training infrastructure, and pooled pension/health benefits for all affiliated locals — operating at much broader scale than any single local.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/smart-local-265

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about Local 265