Headquartered in Doral, Florida, and led by a volunteer organization of officers and directors, AWS serves over 73,000 members worldwide and is composed of 22 Districts with 250 Sections and student chapters.

The roots of the American Welding Society stretch back to World War I, when the sudden demands of swiftly producing military equipment brought about the need for standardization of the manufacturing industry.

Attendees were told of the formation of Sections in eight cities, and also of the establishment of the Journal of the American Welding Society.

However, the first meeting also called into discussion the growing financial issues surrounding the depression and proposed solutions to alleviate it.

It was clear more earnings were needed, so the Society turned to increasing membership numbers of advertising in the Journal as a solution.

For 42 years the organization held all their business in this building, before finally making the move to the United Engineering Center, which was also in New York City.

The American Welding Society held this location for 30 years before buying its current property in Doral, Florida – only seven miles northwest of the old facility.

[citation needed] In August 2012 the American Welding Society moved from their longtime headquarters just outside Coral Gables to their current location in Doral.

It gives us more than three times the office and meeting space of our previous headquarters, and it provides room for our board, committee, and educational activities.”[1] The lobby of the headquarters features a bronze sculpture created by sculptor Gregory Johnson and donated to the American Welding Society by President Rice and his wife Cherry.

It holds regular meetings to discuss matters relating to welding, to act upon the recommendation of the Bureau and to initiate further activities.

This division of the work, while it has created some confusion on account of the similarity of the names, is a logical one, and will be found effective in operating as was clearly indicated by the experience with the old Welding Committee.

The Society now also publishes the Welding Journal en Español – a free quarterly publication containing tailored articles written by and for Mexican and Latin American professionals.

[citation needed] The American Welding Society also certifies the Accredited Test Facilities (ATF) which play an integral part in the operation of their Certification program.

This program is open to all qualified test facilities that may be a part of an independent laboratory, manufacturing plant, educational institution, or other entity.

ATFs help them to save money, improve productivity, and reduce liability by entrusting their welder certification to the experts.

The Society offers four types of membership options: AWS publishes codes on multiple aspects of welding and materials joining.

Professional Development Hours may be earned by attending technical meetings, and other planned activities may include educational seminars, plant tours, social events, student programs, community projects and more.