by Antoine Schellinger (Think Tank Team)

Most industries have a trade association that produces industry events.  The engineering and construction industry, however, represented by the ECC organization, directly taps its companies and people to self-produce a world-class annual conference (www.ecc-conference.org).  So where do those people come from and how do they do it?

As the saying goes, the reward for hard work and achievement is harder work for greater achievements.  This characterizes the hundred or so women and men that are designated as the Future Leaders of the engineering and construction industry.  Each sponsoring member company can designate a single person each year that embodies the character and spirit of their organization to be their Future Leader representative.

Once nominated for the program, the Future Leader begins a three-year journey with their peers in the industry.  By the end of this journey, that class of Future Leaders will have made significant contributions to the production of 3 annual ECC conferences, completely designed, developed and produced 3 one-day programs for their peer Future Leaders, and built close bonds with their classmates that will persist long into their careers.  Not only does each class bond with each other, but they are mentored by third-year Future Leaders, who have already placed their collective stamp on the program.

The Future Leaders meet as an entire body three times per year, but the heart of the volunteer work occurs in numerous committee meetings and telecoms that occur throughout the year.

In recent years, in addition to producing a professional conference for over a thousand people per year, the Future Leaders have:

• Written and produced a video explaining the Future Leaders program.
• Arranged for artists to join events and express our industry’s safety culture through custom murals.
• Organized dozens of social and networking events including fun runs, golf outings, and ice breakers.
• Established a social media presence for the ECC.
• Retained dozens of renowned speakers on relevant topics. 

And they did all of this in their collective spare time, while continuing to thrive in their chosen professions.

Over the years, a significant portion of ECC Future Leaders have moved into senior leadership positions in the industry, fulfilling their potential and the program’s namesake.

So, if engaging with your industry peers to collaborate and tackle the engineering and construction challenges of tomorrow appeals to you, make it known to your company.  Request that your organization nominate you as its next Future Leader and take the initiative to grow yourself, your network, and your career in the process.

Don’t just be an employee in the industry, be part of it.  Make your way into the Future Leaders program today.