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Portals

9/1/2012

During the Executive Committee meeting in June 2010, Past President Florian Barth and then-President Richard (Dick) Stehly spent time in the lobby of the ACI headquarters and discussed changes that could enhance the appearance and functionality of the physical portal into ACI. They developed conceptual ideas, but due to Dick's untimely death, they were not able to follow through with specific actions.

At this year's Winter Executive Committee meeting, Florian reintroduced the ideas and concepts he and Dick had developed. During the process of forming a task group to consider these ideas, then-President Ken Hover and I discussed the other primary "portals" for entry into ACI: the virtual portal (Internet) and the voice portal (phone system). We decided a coordinated effort that addressed all three portals would be the best approach. Thus, a "Portals" Task Group consisting of six volunteer members and three staff members was formed with Florian serving as the initial leader. The first meeting of the task group took place at ACI headquarters in April 2012.

Virtual portal: Work on upgrading the ACI Web site had already been initiated by the Marketing Committee, so during the April meeting, members of the task group were able to interact with consultants who had been retained to examine the architecture of the ACI Web site. The consultants discussed the creation of "typical users" with definitions of how they access and use the Web site. All of us were interested to learn that rather than entering the ACI Web site through the home page (www.concrete.org), most users enter via a Google search and access via Facebook is growing rapidly. By describing a set of typical users, the consultants plan to define the characteristics and interoperability of the Web site that would provide an efficient and satisfying experience for most users.

After the architecture of the site has been defined, the next major step will be to engage graphic designers to create the individual pages, including embedded operations and connectivity, as well as a consistent color scheme to reflect the ACI "brand." Another major consideration in the redevelopment of the virtual portal will be to preserve and enhance the functionality of the site for ACI committee and chapter operations.

Physical portal: An upgrade and redesign of the lobby at ACI headquarters was the stimulus for the focus on portals, but even the scope of this phase of the task group's work has expanded to address the creation of a comprehensive master plan for the headquarters building. Members of the task group remarked that when entering and walking through ACI headquarters, it was not apparent that our primary mission is "to provide knowledge and information for the best use of concrete." There is a need to develop and coordinate physical displays and artwork that emphasize the quality, beauty, economy, and sustainability of concrete construction.

Part of the initial discussion between Dick and Florian also involved an update and expansion of the current Board Room. Modernization of the room is still a goal, but there are limited possibilities for expansion. ACI staff indicated that an alternative solution would be to create a new meeting room with space for 30 to 40 participants. The room could be used for educational purposes—for instance, training people who will be administering various certification programs—and for meetings of larger ACI groups, such as TAC. During a facilities tour, staff identified space in the warehouse area that is not used to its full capacity.

Voice portal: The original phone system was installed when the building was constructed in 1996. It has reached the end of its useful life and a new system using Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is currently being installed. This modern system will improve how customer calls are handled and better support staff functions within the building. Other items the task group asked staff to consider were adding the option to speak to a live operator, determining the requirements for video calling, and allowing access for mobile communication systems.

For all three portals, the task group will aim to minimize the cost of changes while increasing their effectiveness for ACI members. If you have comments or advice regarding any of ACI's portals, please feel free to contact us at suggestions@concrete.org.

James K. Wight
American Concrete Institute

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