President's Memo

October 2004

ACI Chapters-An Essential Resource

by Anthony E. Fiorato

In 1957, ACI's Board authorized formation of our first chapter- the Southern California Chapter-on a provisional basis. The Southern California Chapter was so successful that in 1958 our membership voted to amend the Bylaws to allow the establishment of chapters. We currently have 96 chapters in 33 countries, and 25 student chapters in five countries. The Maharashtra India chapter is our largest, with almost 2000 members. Overall there are about 16,000 members of ACI chapters, with just over 6000 also being members of ACI. Yes, you can be a member of a chapter without being an ACI member.

The objectives of the original chapter were:

To encourage local interest and participation in Institute affairs;
To plan and conduct meetings and conferences, with the intent that ideas and information related to technical problems discussed could be passed on to appropriate Institute committees to expedite needed action;
To coordinate requirements and use of the ACI Building Code and ACI standards of practice with other agencies and groups that would lead to improved design and construction;
To assist development of new methods and techniques, encouraging local sources to write articles and papers, and expand efforts in education;
To encourage research projects in concrete construction to develop test data and techniques useful to designers and builders, producers of concrete materials and products, and to the public; and
To expedite technology transfer to the membership by disseminating ACI information on specific problems at the local level.

While these objectives remain relevant today, our chapters play an even broader role that makes them invaluable to our membership. First and foremost, our chapters provide a vehicle to coalesce the local concrete construction community in which they serve. Attend any chapter meeting and you will find participation from designers, contractors, materials suppliers, test lab personnel, faculty, government agencies, specifiers, and users. The camaraderie and fellowship developed through working together on chapter projects creates a mutual bond and understanding within the concrete industry that would be very difficult to generate through other means.

The chapters also provide an opportunity for those starting out in the industry to learn about issues that impact various stakeholders. They are a great place for junior professionals to learn about networking and building professional relationships. Many firms do not support ACI membership until an individual attains some seniority. Especially in these cases, I strongly encourage firms to support the participation of their junior staff at the ACI local chapter level. It presents a wonderful opportunity for professional development at very low cost. And such participation provides a solid foundation for getting the most value from the Institute's national and international programs. Many of our most active and prominent ACI members got their start with ACI through participation in local chapter activities.

As originally conceived back in 1957, one of the objectives of our chapters is to provide feedback on technical issues that need to be addressed in our codes, standards of practice, and other committee documents. This is an area we want to exploit more fully. Communication with chapters is not a one-way street with the Institute providing direction or disseminating information. Problems and opportunities for concrete are often first observed at the local level. We need to encourage feedback from our chapters to get those issues identified for consideration by our technical committees. We are emphasizing this objective at our chapter roundtables and through our Chapter Activities Committee.

Chapters are an essential resource to ACI-they unite our industry; expand our reach; support our education, certification, convention, and technical programs; and provide a vehicle for professional development. They are key to ACI's continued success.

As always, your feedback is welcome.

Anthony E. Fiorato, President
American Concrete Institute
fiorato@CTLGroup.com

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