To the ACEC Community,
I hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable July 4th holiday. The Spring Convention ended a short time ago, but much has happened since then— most notably the launch of our brand-new website, which hit the internet just as the event started. The new acec.org is the latest in a series of efforts we are undertaking to expand and improve relationships with our members and the public at large and it represents an important milestone in ACEC’s evolution as one of Washington’s most influential industry associations.
Our new website also checked some important boxes on the Board’s approved strategic initiatives and the implementation of our Strategic Plan. The other two initiatives — the MO Strengthening Program and our database reimagining — are well underway in their own respects.
The quality of our website speaks volumes about who we are at a fundamental level – not only to existing members, but prospective ones, as well as affiliates, advocacy audiences, and even future engineers. The new site represents a new opportunity for the Council to introduce itself, with an internet presence that reflects the vibrant, innovative nature of our industry.
There are several features of the new site I want to call out to our members. The first is the resource library. In our old site, there was no single, easily searchable repository for all ACEC content. Instead, documents and files ranging from advocacy letters to EEA submission guidelines were linked directly off pages. Now, with our resource library, our site offers an indexed searchable database of all content listed by several category types.
The second feature is something that runs throughout the site’s architecture. You will notice that we now have an integrated Member Center that provides existing members with a centralized space to engage in Council activities from communities to forums, committees and more. You will notice when scrolling through the new Member Center that we present everything ACEC offers in a new way to speak to prospective members, whether they be engineering firms or potential affiliates. This model is carried throughout the site – in advocacy, education, and our events pages.
Third is the overall feel and design of the new site. We are using more imagery from our member firms and member events to tell our story. We are also presenting our content strategically. The podcast page includes direct links to the leading podcast platforms where Engineering Influence can be downloaded. We have an integrated news page with a revitalized Last Word blog and we are making greater use of video and graphics to inform and educate.
The new ACEC.org is a big step forward, but we are not done. We have already started the redesign of the ACEC Research Institute site, and we are launching a new events module in time for Fall Conference. Our large firm coalition – the Design Professionals Coalition (DPC) is also moving forward with a redesign of their website and the MOs that host their sites with us will be moving to a new template in the coming months.
As with any project of this scale – especially a technical one like a website, it is and should be a continual work in progress. Thankfully, we have the flexibility to allow the site to evolve as ACEC evolves. But the best test is the end user – you. We want your feedback. Email us at comms@acec.org with your experiences and suggestions on the new website. We will use what we learn to improve as we move forward.
Have a great week,
Linda Bauer Darr
President & CEO
American Council of Engineering Companies | ACEC
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