The Foundation has flourished, thanks to enlightened and educated people
Having recently attended my 103rd consecutive PCI Board of Directors meeting I have seen a lot over the years. Of all the wonderful things that PCI has accomplished through these years, one area that fell woefully short was education initiatives. While enlightened and dedicated people like Bill Johnson, Bud Hilgeman, Ed Gregory, Pat Hynes, Al Ericson and others fought valiantly for more attention to be paid to educational pursuits, their efforts were always stifled by that old nemesis…the budget. The PCI Foundation has changed that…dramatically!
As an independent entity not controlled by the PCI budget, the foundation has flourished. With the introduction of the studio program in 2007, the bar was raised and continues to be raised every year of our interaction with academia. Through the studios we now have reached 31 schools around the country and have influenced thousands of students in the use of precast concrete.
We now have warm working relationships with many professors around the country…and they with each other! It’s a wonderful thing to see as it ramps up more and more each year.
And what is the payoff of all of this? It’s quite simple. Where previously, students went through their architectural, engineering, and project management studies with little or no knowledge of precast, they now not only know about precast…they are excited about it! This translates to more future projects possibly going precast. AND, some of these students might just wind up working for a PCI producer. A win/win situation for sure!
All I ever envisioned in starting the foundation was to have a seat at the table when project materials were being considered. Because of the studio program, I believe we now have achieved that goal.
BE LIKE JIM: You are invited to join Jim and others who are making a difference in the future of precast by donating to support precast education.