This past year has been a period of growth and progress for ACEC Ohio. I'm pleased to report that our association is thriving and well-positioned for future opportunities.
Our membership remained steady at 148 companies, representing over 9,000 employees, along with 19 affiliate members across Ohio. ACEC had an active year hosting six Board Meetings, 53 committee meetings, eight state agency liaison meetings, and 23 chapter meetings. These gatherings brought together participants from various fields to share insights and contribute to the growth of our industry.
Addressing workforce needs has been a key priority. The Workforce Development Committee has been working hard to identify needs and formulating effective strategies. Our scholarship program continues to support engineering and technical students. This year, ACEC Ohio awarded four regional scholarships of $2,500 and one $1,500 scholarship to support the Construction Workforce Inspection Program at community colleges.
Recognizing the importance of nurturing future leaders, we held four regional events for young professionals and early career employees, introducing them to ACEC Ohio. Our Rising Leader training program, now in its fifth year, graduated 20 talented individuals, equipping them with the skills to advance their careers.
In our pursuit of excellence, we have engaged in valuable partnerships. For the first time this year, we held an in-person partnering session with the Ohio Facilities Construction Commission and AIA. We had a successful ODOT Partnering Conference with nearly 400 attendees and worked with ODOT to align the LPA Conflict of Interest proposal with how our members serve as city engineers. Our DEI Committee partnered with member companies to host an Employee Resource Group (ERG) panel discussion.
We continued to offer a “private sector forum” highlighting key business segments in the private/vertical market space. Along with other professional forums including CEO, finance, human resources, marketing, and IT, the Council served programming benefiting our member firm’s needs. This year, we partnered with ACEC Indiana on four of these professional forums, giving our members a broader perspective.
From an advocacy standpoint, ACEC Ohio pushed for more water funding in the general revenue budget and protected QBS in a joint purchasing bill. Enhancing our local outreach to Ohio legislative members, we hosted four “legislative fly-ins” at each of our regional chapters. These events met our legislative members in their districts to discuss issues important to our businesses. On a national level, ACEC Ohio was prominent in a public relations campaign pushing to fix the R&D Tax amortization issue. Key editorials from our members were seen across Ohio, sharing the importance of fixing the problem. Additionally, ACEC Ohio members advocated for a fix with all Ohio Congressional members and both U.S. Senators over the past year.
Thank you for your ongoing support. Together, we'll build on our successes and tackle future challenges, ensuring a bright future for ACEC Ohio and our industry.
~Beth