General Sheet Metal

For more than 85 years, sheet metal fabricator General Sheet Metal (GSM) has operated as a mechanical, architectural, fabrication, and HVAC service company, meeting the needs of a wide spectrum of clients who seek quality, value, and innovative solutions for their projects. The company continues to expand its offerings and capabilities and are now known for their work in a variety of materials, including fiberglass, plastic, brass, aluminum, composites, steel, galvanized products, stainless steel, and coated materials.

Based in Clackamas, GSM was purchased by the Duncan family in 1972. The company is currently headed by CEO Carol Duncan who joined the firm in 1982. Ashley Duncan, Carol’s daughter, is being mentored to soon take her place. This mother-daughter combination is at the helm of a diverse leadership team that will help to ensure that company continues to thrive.

GSM was selected by Howard S. Wright-Belfour Beatty (HSW), General Contractor for The Portland Building Reconstruction Project, as a trade partner largely due to its track record for delivering. The many mentorships and apprenticeships that the company sponsors add to the overall diversity of the City’s project in a way that fits well with the project’s objectives. To achieve their own diversity goals, GSM has worked closely with their Sheet Metal Workers’ Union representatives to train a record number of women and introduce minorities interested in entering the field to available opportunities. This work not only meets project needs but addresses GSM’s broader mission to successfully build through innovation, industry and collaborative relationships.

Ozzie Gonzalez, Director of Diversity and Sustainability for HSW, says, “As a firm growing up through the COBID certification program, GSM knows the importance of inclusion. They have joined the Portland Building Reconstruction Project team with inclusion built into their subcontracting plan and are supporting the project’s equity goals by negotiating Tier II supplier and subcontractor agreements with COBID (Certification Office for Business Inclusion and Diversity) certified companies.”

COBID certified as a woman-owned business and an active participant in the COBID program, GSM’s proven track record for delivering quality product as well as the many mentoring relationships they have fostered and continue to develop with minority, women and emerging small businesses (MWESB) will help ensure that they remain a reliable partner. The company received recognition in 2018 from Portland’s Daily Journal of Commerce for its many efforts in the area of equity and inclusion.