That unfortunate experience happened to Walter Nashert, founder of Nashert Constructors Inc., Oklahoma City. How did he respond? By laying the groundwork for the courts to recognize constructors as members of a profession. Nashert recruited the support of colleagues on the construction education committee of the Associated General Contractors of America.
STANDARDS. Together they formed the American Institute of Constructors in 1971. Like the American Bar Association or American Medical Association, AIC exists to establish and maintain standards for a profession. Today, as constructors decide for themselves whether to become professionals in the formal sense of the word, they might consider this history.
In 1974, AIC joined forces with AGC and other groups to form the American Council for Construction Education. ACCE now accredits more than 60 two- and four-year construction programs. These C-schools have been instrumental in defining the profession's body of knowledge.