News Detail

An Unprecedented Year and a “foundation” for the Foundation

3/1/2021

It’s hard to believe that this is my last President’s Memo. Given the year we have had, I suppose it’s fitting that I hand over the gavel to Cary Kopczynski on April 1; yes, that’s April Fool’s Day. Despite that irony, I can say with sincerity that it has been the greatest honor of my career to serve as your President. Together we have navigated uncharted waters. While being unable to travel anywhere, I have had virtual meetings with more international partners (17) and chapters (17 international and domestic) and talked about the ACI Foundation to more chapters (25) than I ever could have in person.

Just about a year ago, we shifted to an unprecedented virtual Convention with 17 days’ notice. We followed that with an expanded fall virtual Convention that attracted record attendance. At the same time, our chapters have been advancing their programs through virtual meetings, in many cases engaging with far more individuals than previous in-person meetings. We often speak of concrete in terms of resiliency and durability. Over the past year, we—meaning ACI staff and local chapters and members—have all demonstrated the resilience and durability of our organizations as we have clearly maintained the ACI motto, “Always Advancing.”

While “behind the scenes,” we have continued to build strong relationships with our other industry partner organizations, both international and in the United States.

We have also opened our first ACI Resource Center to serve the concrete industry’s needs more fully.

To the ACI, ACI Foundation, and AOE staff: most of you have not even seen your offices in almost a year, but you have continued to exceed expectations in performing your respective responsibilities. We could not have navigated these uncharted waters without your incredible dedication and skill. Thank you.

And a similar thank you goes to our volunteer members who have continued the critical missions of our Institute while operating in a virtual world. I look forward to seeing you again at a future Convention.

Finally, the initiative I am most proud of has been the effort to help the ACI Foundation continue to move to the forefront of ACI and its membership. I hope that over the past year you have become more familiar with the Foundation’s programs: scholarships, research grants, and the Strategic Development Council (SDC), which is ACI’s strategic think tank.

Last fall, I launched the ACI President’s Million Dollar Challenge to raise one million dollars for the Foundation during my term. I thought it was a stretch, and I wanted it to be a stretch. Remarkably, due to the amazing generosity of ACI members and chapters throughout my term, we have not only reached that goal, but we have exceeded it. Yes…we have raised over one million dollars for the ACI Foundation. I want to express my sincere gratitude to all of you who have contributed. Over 110 of us have made personal contributions ranging from $25 to $10,000. But the goal could not have been reached without our major donors, who I thank for making contributions: a donation in honor of ACI Past President Robert Mast, the ACI Carolinas Chapter, Surendra P. Shah and his students and supporters, Master Builders Solutions, the estate of William Maloney, the ACI Greater Miami Valley Chapter, the ACI Ontario Chapter, and AOE. I also thank the ACI Board of Direction and ACI for continued support of the Foundation.

But I want to send a special thank you to ACI Past President Dan Baker. When I called to tell him that we were closing in on our goal, without hesitating he offered a major personal contribution to move us over the million-dollar line. Dan’s contributions to ACI as President, as a member, and through Baker Concrete as a Sustaining Member have been immeasurable. But the extra effort to help me reach the Million Dollar Challenge will be remembered for the rest of my life; thank you, Dan!

So as I fly into the sunset as your President, I want you to know that ACI has navigated the COVID-19 storm. We have continued “Always Advancing.” We have demonstrated organizational resilience and durability. Finally, we have learned that by using virtual platforms, we can engage more members than ever before and in a way that will likely change our operations in the future. Thank you for the opportunity to serve.

Jeffrey W. Coleman, American Concrete Institute