AIChE East Tennessee Membership Facts

Based on membership information from the national AIChE, there have been significant changes in the AIChE members in East Tennessee over the last nine years. Comparing 2003 figures to those from 1994, we find that:

• The total number of members dropped from 286 to 218 in East Tennessee (24% drop). Most of this decline is due to a lower number (57 fewer) of active Eastman employees in AIChE in 2003 compared to 1994. The number of Eastman AIChE members dropped by 30%.
• The average age increased from 45.3 in 1994 to 50 in 2003. (The median age increased from 43 to 47.)
• Remarkably, the number of members aged 40 and younger dropped from 131 to 48, a decrease of 63%, while those aged 41 and over increased in number by 10%, from 155 to 170.
• Eastman still dominates as the largest employer of AIChE members from East Tennessee (59% of the total). However, Nuclear Fuel Services in Elizabethton nearly doubled its representation from 8 to 15 over the last nine years.

These remarkable facts are shown in the graphs below.

The surprising fact that there are only 48 AIChE members in the East Tennessee area who are age 40 and under creates a massive challenge for sustaining the future of our local section. It also suggests that our present activities should be more focused on older and retired members in order to assure the maximum benefits to our membership today.

Obviously, Eastman’s recent decline in Kingsport is the main source of the problem, but what are the solutions?

--Tim Nolen