V alue Membership The of ACEC Annual Conventions regularly attract noted personalities, including former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (left) and political analysts George Will (center) and Chris Matthews (right). T he key to ACEC’s success throughout the century has been its dedicated membership, committed to bettering their engineering practices in order to advance the public interest. From only a handful of members in 1909 to more than 5,000 companies today—joined in a strong federation of 51 State and Local Organizations—the Council represents a wide range of engineering practices, across all engineering disciplines, and from very small businesses to very large national corporations. ACEC Turns 100 March / april 2009 s ENGiNEEriNG iNc. 29