Steps to the Goal Line Begin at Annual Meeting 

by Steve Bostic, PE

President, ACEC of Tennessee 

            As our organization begins its new year, it’s time to consider our goals for the next 12 months. At the recent Board retreat, we reviewed last year’s goals and discussed goals for the coming year.

            Goal #1:  Membership retention and recruitment will continue to be a priority.  During the difficult economy of the past two years, some member firms “tightened their belts” and  dropped their membership. Mergers and acquisitions have also been a factor in the membership decline.  We must continue to emphasize and communicate the value of ACEC membership to current and prospective members. 

            Goal #2:  Local Chapters need to be strengthened. A key focus will be continued development of consistent by-laws for all Chapters. Quarterly conference calls between Chapter presidents and Board members will be conducted to improve coordination and share ideas.  A clear path to the Chapter president post will be developed to ensure seamless leadership transition within Chapters. Chapter presidents will meet at the Annual Meeting to share ideas and discuss challenges they may face regionally.

            Goal #3:  The organization and its members must continue to keep abreast of what happens on Capitol Hill.  Each year, new legislation is introduced that can directly impact our profession and our bottom lines.  Candy Toler does an excellent job in keeping up with proposed legislation and its movement through the various committees. She keeps members informed regarding the sponsor(s) and the reasoning behind introduction of the legislation. She works with other organizations that the legislation may impact and coordinates with their leaders to develop strategies to address the proposed bills. However, members must get involved. It is especially important to participate in Engineers’ Day on the Hill, which will be March 8, 2011.

            The first steps toward the goal line in each of these areas will be taken at the Annual Meeting. I encourage you to attend; the program is going to be excellent thanks to the joint efforts of ACEC of Tennessee and TSPE Board members, staff members Candy and Judy, and  members.  See you there.