News Detail

ACI's Accomplishments

3/1/2014

In April of 2013, I began my term as ACI President with great aspirations as outlined in my Presidential objectives. These objectives reflected the aspirations of our membership and staff: Go Global, Be Relevant, and Celebrate Our Legacy. There is a risk when one puts objectives on the table, but I did so with confidence in the amazing community known as ACI. Collectively, we undertook an ambitious work plan.

As I complete my term as the 90th President of the American Concrete Institute, I do so with great pride in our accomplishments:

New communications platforms. A new website, translatable into 70 languages, was launched with an improved committee work area and content directed at specific industry sectors: educators, engineers, contractors, and students. Our expanded social media presence is key to engaging with a global and often younger community.

New brand and identity design. Our new logo is reflective of our heritage as well as our contemporary, diverse, and dynamic membership and activities.

New strategic plan. The collective vision of our future is outcome-focused and grounded in quantitative and qualitative measures of progress so we don’t lose sight of our desired outcomes and commitments to the ACI community.

New administrative committees. The Education, Technical, and Certification Committee will address products, services, and tools such as Apps and social media developed outside the purview of a single committee, and/or by nonvolunteers. The International Project Awards Committee will celebrate excellence in concrete construction by overseeing the Institute’s international project awards and gala. This program will leverage our ACI chapters’ awards programs. The Codes & Standards Advisory Committee will be considered by the Board at the Spring 2014 Meeting. The intent is to advise the Board on strategic advocacy opportunities and procedures required for the adoption of ACI codes and standards in the United States and around the world.

Further globalized discussions. To ensure great ideas are heard across geographic boundaries, we merged Board committees and broadened their membership from those outside the United States as our technical committees did long ago, and we launched global Chapter Roundtables.

Other significant accomplishments include the upcoming Tribute to the Fellowship Founders to heighten awareness of the ACI Foundation’s work, the beginning of the TAC review of the completely reorganized ACI 318-14, and the launch of an educational program on adhesive anchor installation.

It has been an amazing year thanks to the ACI leadership, membership, and staff who play an integral part in everything we do.

But if we are to live up to our tagline “Always advancing,” there are many challenges and opportunities to address. Consider:

• How do we satisfy the public’s expectation that information be free, yet protect and grow our revenue?
• How can we be relevant globally, especially if:
  …our products and services are not mandated by building code or project specification?
  …others are developing similar products and services and/or engaged in online concrete knowledge sharing?
  …we continue to operate in U.S. customary units and concrete cylinder strength in a world of SI units and concrete cube strength?
  …the demand for knowledge far exceeds the capacity of volunteers to deliver? Consider the challenge in India to upskill over 100 million concrete field technicians.
• What does the twenty-first century “membership” and “chapter” model look like?

I exit my role, confident in the ACI leaders to follow: Bill Rushing, Sharon Wood, and Mike Schneider. Our Board of Direction and Board and Technical Committees are enthusiastically engaged. Our Institute is well-supported by staff—many industry leaders in their own right—well-prepared for the challenges ahead and who welcome more responsibility and accountability. We have the right people to do today what we must to be relevant tomorrow.

Thank you to the ACI membership for the privilege of serving as your President. There are so many magical moments imprinted upon my heart by our chapters, partners, and allied organizations visited in Colombia, India, Mexico, Guatemala, Japan, Panama, New Zealand, Australia, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, South Dakota, and elsewhere. And I thank my wonderfully supportive and understanding family, especially my husband Marc, whose energy, enthusiasm, and respect for our efforts have contributed to such an amazing experience.



Anne M. Ellis