News Detail

Convention Time!

9/1/2021

Our October convention in Atlanta, GA, USA, is now just weeks away. And when it finally convenes, it will be the first in-person ACI Concrete Convention in 2 years! That’s remarkable. But even more remarkable is that despite the 2-year hiatus caused by the pandemic, ACI’s work moved forward almost unimpeded. With few exceptions, our activities prior to the pandemic continued and our previously planned initiatives took root. All of us can take great pride in that. The Institute emerged in excellent shape from what could have been a turbulent and disruptive time. Kudos to all.

Our success in navigating the recent period was not an accident. Far from it. Many people worked long and hard to create it. Special credit, though, goes to the ACI staff. They are a team of the highest caliber, and seldom has that been more evident—or more necessary—than during the past 18 months. When ACI headquarters was shuttered in March 2020 with little advance notice, this staff teamwork paid handsome dividends. As an outsider looking in, the transition to remote work was seamless. If it felt more chaotic from their end, it was not apparent from mine. They didn’t miss a beat. In my frequent coordination with ACI staff members via digital meetings and phone, almost never was there even the slightest misstep.

Credit also goes to our members. As most of us know, the bulk of ACI’s committee and leadership time is donated by members and other volunteers. I’ve heard various numbers regarding the dollar value of time donated to ACI, were it to be paid at market rates. The numbers are large. Very large. Nevertheless, members donate their time willingly because they believe in our industry and in the ACI mission. This commitment from members old and new, near and far, helped maintain the esprit de corps necessary for ACI to successfully navigate through the turbulence of the past 18 months.

Regarding recent accomplishments leading up to our convention, several stand out. First, we enhanced our member benefits beginning in January of this year. These new benefits give ACI members free access to all ACI University live webinars and hundreds of on-demand courses. Also included is unlimited access to the Institute’s practices—including all ACI guides and reports—and symposium volumes, providing ACI members with the knowledge needed to succeed.

We also rolled out ACI 318 PLUS, an online version of our flagship code document. This exciting addition to ACI’s collection of codes and standards provides users with digital interactive access to ACI CODE-318-19, Building Code Requirements for Structural Concrete and Commentary. Among the prominent features of this new offering are in-document access to related resources, digital notetaking, and enhanced search capabilities. A subscription to ACI 318 PLUS includes full access to the ACI Detailing Manual and the ACI Reinforced Concrete Design Handbook. The ACI 318 PLUS platform will be continually updated and features 3-D graphics, many ACI CODE-318-19-related references, and links to FAQs. Quickly finding and accessing the information on concrete technology that ACI members need has been made less challenging with ACI 318 PLUS.

In addition to member benefits and an interactive version of 318, we launched the ACI Resource Center – Southern California in San Bernardino, CA, USA, and will open another in the Chicago area this year. These resource centers offer regularly scheduled certification programs to supplement those provided by Local Sponsoring Groups, educational seminars, and hands-on training to meet regional demands for access to concrete knowledge.

And finally, in collaboration with our initial partner, Aramco Americas, we rolled out our first ever Center of Excellence. NEx: A Center of Excellence for Nonmetallic Building Materials is dedicated to providing technically sound information and guidance on the use of nonmetallic materials in the construction sector. The center’s mission is to collaborate globally to drive research, education, awareness, and technology adoption. ACI was pleased to announce that David Lange, ACI Past President, will serve as the center’s Executive Director. He will oversee all NEx operations and initially focus on identifying and recruiting new members interested in advancing nonmetallic building materials.

These are the recent highlights of how ACI is always advancing. I look forward to seeing you all in Atlanta! However, if you can’t travel yet, please note that there will also be select convention programming available online and on demand. Visit www.aciconvention.org to register.

Cary S. Kopczynski

ACI President