News Detail

Developing New Members—and Leaders

11/1/2019

Where is ACI going to find its next generation of members? This question about where to find workers is asked in all types of businesses in the construction industry. There is no easy answer, but ACI and the construction industry must continue to develop membership and leadership for the next generation.

Our youngest potential members come from the ranks of students in engineering programs and those fortunate enough to be at a university with an ACI student chapter. I have been amazed at the enthusiasm of the students who attend convention. I have had the opportunity to attend the student competitions and the presentations at the ACI Student Forum. These forums provide a setting to solve engineering problems and challenges and a public venue to speak about students' work.

ACI has dedicated staff who work with students and faculty, which has been a great help in connecting with new universities to establish student chapters, foreign and domestic, and to help guide them in developing meaningful programs. There will be a natural drift of students, especially in the design and construction realm, who come to ACI, but only if their employers support this type of professional development. Students are the first-line opportunity to advance ACI membership.

One recently implemented initiative allows our local chapter members to opt in to ACI membership and gain additional benefits. This move was important as there is a tremendous amount of ACI business and activities that happen at the chapter level. Chapters bring the concrete construction community together for regular meetings to discuss timely topics germane to the local level. Also, chapters play an integral role in implementing and administering the ACI certification programs that are mandated by local building codes for inspection, quality control, and quality assurance purposes. This synergy between the ACI certification program and the chapters has become a fundamental, winning relationship. I had the good fortune to present at the Nebraska Chapter – ACI in September and witnessed firsthand the inner workings of a dedicated chapter. The monthly programs and administration of ACI certification programs by the Nebraska Chapter are a model for chapter activities.

Much of the work in producing our worldwide-recognized codes, specifications, guides, and standards and our educational programs and documents is done at convention and in between conventions through the volunteer efforts of dedicated individuals. ACI is fortunate to have volunteers who work tirelessly in developing state-of-the-art technical documents and educational programs.

What we need is an influx of new talent to carry on the long traditions of the ACI committees. I believe there is a reluctance in young individuals at committee meetings to volunteer to work on writing committee documents—this is natural, as some might wonder what they can add as someone new to the industry. The fact is that one's education and perhaps one’s brief work experience provides fertile ground for input into the latest ACI technical documents. It provides a committee with a fresh perspective based on the latest trends in education and research. This can provide new life for a committee.

There is no reason for younger attendees to be bashful! I can assure you that all committees welcome volunteers willing to work on writing and updating documents. Of course, employers must be willing to support the ACI activities of young professionals. I can assure them that participation pays off in manifold ways—professional development for the individual and marketing for the company.

One of my Presidential initiatives is to increase membership both at the chapter and national levels. The Institute has much to offer young individuals, but only if they join. There are opportunities for young members to take leadership roles as officers in chapters, and as voting members and officers in technical committees at the national level. ACI has taken solid steps to nurture promising young members into becoming leaders. Annually, eight individuals are selected to attend the national Emerging Leaders Alliance conference held near Washington, DC, to engage with other young professionals from a variety of disciplines and to learn leadership skills from leading experts.

We are thankful for all the volunteer work that goes on behind the scenes to get young and new professionals involved in ACI chapter and ACI national and international activities.

Randall W. Poston

ACI President