David McKeown, long-time stalwart of the Institute of Asset Management asks us to “Look away from the madness, for a moment! This is what our world actually needs – we absolutely can choose this! This is the long term I choose. With me?” See more about his recent Linkedin post below in Ideas, which also includes information about ALN A55K Professional Certification Training from the Andrew James Advisory Group.
ALN Th@3 pm ET this week will address the false dichotomy of “We can’t afford to maintain our bridges.” We can’t afford not to. ALN Senior Fellows and guests will address the anniversary of the Key Bridge collapse and the Pittsburgh Fern Hallow Bridge in a panel on solutions to the challenge of maintaining public infrastructure. ALN Chair and CEO Jim Dieter has frequently said, “Our bridges are not falling down because we don’t know how to maintain bridges. They are falling down because political leaders aren’t marshalling the will of the people to do the hard work of maintaining bridges.” Join us for a discussion on ways proper Asset Management can be used to maintain bridges in poor condition. We will make audience members panelists if they want to join the discussion. See more below in People and Sources. Register at this link.
CGI Federal Inc., a wholly owned U.S. operating subsidiary of CGI Inc., is dedicated to partnering with federal agencies to provide solutions for defense, civilian, healthcare, justice, intelligence, and international affairs missions.
People
Marty Rowland, PhD, ALN Senior Fellow, has completed a study of the Key Bridge collapse from a political economist point of view and will discuss it in a panel on this week’s ALN Th@3 pm ET. He calculated the resistance to collisions based on the size and weights of container ships in 1977 when the bridge opened. Now that ships are more than 3 times the size, their owners could measurably pay a fee to cover the additional risk based on the size of their vessels. The fees could cover the cost of upgrading protective piers. With many other bridges at similar risk as the Key Bridge, solutions are needed to protect society from possible fatalities, injuries and economic loss. Register at this link.
Sources
Pittsburgh’s Fern Hallow Bridge Settlement
ALN Board of Directors member Richard Culbertson pointed out that Pittsburgh’s Fern Hallow Bridge settlement was the topic of a TribLive opinion piece last week. A Pittsburgh resident, Culbertson notes that attempting to limit the liability the City has in addressing injuries of those hurt in the collapse could encourage more bad Asset Management. If owner organizations aren’t liable for their poor management of assets, why would they do the hard work of properly managing them? Mr. Culbertson will join Mr. Rowland in a discussion that will open up to audience participation. Register at this link.
Ideas
Don’t Fall for False Dichotomies
David McKeown reposted a LinkedIn message from David McKane, Director at Arup. The post disproves the false dichotomy that we must choose either economic advancement or support of the environment. Using an example of converting an abandoned coal plant area into recreational facilities in Yorkshire, U.K., McKane clearly shows that the proper environmental activities promote economic advancement. With a host of false dichotomies running rampant, it is important to remember that proper Asset Management, while challenging, provides the greatest value from assets.
A great way to have your team implement proper Asset Management is to have them train together for ALN A55K Professional Certification. The Andrew James Advisory Group has released more 2025 training dates. See below. Private custom courses also can be established for one organization. Contact Lindsay Ziegler, President, Andrew James Advisory Group about either the scheduled courses or custom training at: lindsay.z@andrewjamesadvisory.com
Schedule for upcoming courses:
June 2 – 13, 2025
October 6 – 17, 2025
January 12 – 23, 2026
Upcoming Events
March 20 – Jim Dieter, ALN Chair and CEO, will preview the ALN Book Club Discussion of “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI” by Yuval Noah Harari.
March 25 – ALN Book Club – First Discussion
Because the human evolution of tools and processes grows increasingly complex, information management becomes a critical element of Asset Management. A policy requiring the use of secure, open standards can allow information from all categories of assets to flow to top leadership and others for confident decision making. Once a policy is in place, a Strategic Asset Management Plan establishes the overarching direction for many elements of operation and then specific Asset Management Plans establish the desired use of tools and processes for each asset category. However, more fully understanding information networks is good to do before establishing policy. Therefore, the first ALN Book Club will read “Nexus: A Brief History of Information Networks from the Stone Age to AI.” The three sections of the book by Yuval Noah Harari will be discussed on the last Tuesday of February, March, and April at 3 pm Eastern. Jim Dieter, ALN Chair and CEO will lead the discussions. Mr. Dieter says the book provides important new ways to think about information, networks, documents, bureaucracy, and more issues that are extremely relevant for asset leadership and asset management. See more details about signing up for the ALN Book Club discussions and the importance of the book at this link.