Society for Industrial Archeology

What Society for Industrial Archeology does

The Society for Industrial Archeology (SIA) is a nonprofit scholarly membership organization founded in 1972 and dedicated to the study, documentation, and preservation of historic industrial sites, structures, and processes. It serves an international community of academics, historians, preservation professionals, and enthusiasts working in the field of industrial archaeology and heritage conservation. The organization is institutionally hosted at Michigan Technological University and operates with a small staff comprising an Executive Secretary, Office Manager, and Events Coordinator.

SIA's core products are intellectual and experiential rather than technological: the peer-reviewed IA Journal, a quarterly SIA Newsletter, an annual conference, fall tours, and multi-day study tours. It also administers recognition programs including the General Tools Award, the Vogel Prize, and student travel scholarships, and maintains an international affiliation with TICCIH (The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage). There is no proprietary technology platform or software product; the underlying infrastructure consists of standard publishing, event management, and member-administration workflows.

The business model is a traditional nonprofit membership economy. Revenue is generated through tiered individual membership dues (ranging from $20 student/associate to $500 sustaining), conference registration fees (~$500), fall tour fees (~$595), study tour fees, donations, and publication sales. SIA does not sell to enterprise customers and has no disclosed commercial partnerships, government contracts, or grant-making program; it is funded entirely by its members and event participants. Recent operational moves—development of a new strategic plan in 2024 and launch of a new online membership system in 2025—indicate administrative modernization rather than expansion.

Name

Society for Industrial Archeology

Legal name

Society for Industrial Archeology

Website

https://sia-web.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Society for Industrial Archeology is a nonprofit scholarly membership organization that studies and documents historic industrial sites, structures, and processes for an international community of academics, preservationists, and heritage enthusiasts.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Membership Organization (Industrial Heritage)

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYTHAJADAI

Cultural Heritage Institutions (Archives, Historic Houses, Monuments Foundations)

Travel & Hospitality/Tours, Attractions & Experiences/Museums, Galleries & Cultural Institutions

Keywords

• Industrial heritage preservation
• Industrial archaeology research
• Scholarly journal publications
• Professional membership services
• Industrial heritage tours

Headquarters

HQ city

Houghton, MI

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership dues ranging from $20 (student) to $500 (corporate). This is the primary recurring revenue stream supporting organizational operations.
2. Conference and Tour Fees: Registration fees for annual conferences (e.g., $500 full conference in 2024), fall tours (e.g., $595 for 2026 Fall Tour including meals and accommodations), and study tours. Additional fees for optional activities like the canal tour ($95).
3. Publication Sales: Revenue from sale of IA Journal back issues, books, and other SIA publications. Members receive discounts on publications.
4. Donations: Tax-deductible donations accepted, including planned giving options. Contributing and sustaining memberships include tax-deductible donation components. Members are encouraged to donate when renewing.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

The Society for Industrial Archeology is a nonprofit, international, interdisciplinary membership organization that supports the study and preservation of industrial heritage. Its core offerings are annual memberships (with tiered dues from $20 student to $500 corporate), a peer-reviewed scholarly journal (IA Journal), a quarterly SIA Newsletter, an annual conference, fall tours of industrial sites, and international study tours. The organization also administers Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants and member awards/scholarships, and is hosted at Michigan Technological University.

Product overview

The Society for Industrial Archeology offers a membership-based portfolio of products and services centered on industrial archaeology research, education, and preservation. The core offerings include the quarterly SIA Newsletter and peer-reviewed IA Journal for disseminating research, along with in-person events (Annual Conferences, Fall Tours, and international Study Tours) that provide tours of industrial heritage sites. The organization also supports the field through Industrial Heritage Preservation Grants and recognizes excellence via the General Tools Award and Vogel Prize. Student Travel Scholarships support emerging professionals. Members receive access to the online membership directory and free JSTOR access to back issues of IA Journal through integrated third-party platforms.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SIA Newsletter Quarterly newsletter containing current news, announcements, listings of recent publications of interest, and a calendar of activities for SIA members.
• IA Journal

Quantifiable outcome

• 54 volumes of SIA Newsletter published (as of Fall 2025)

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered moderate and core.

• Michigan Technological UniversitymoderateOthersThe SIA website is hosted by Michigan Technological University, demonstrating an institutional partnership where MTU provides infrastructure support for the organization's digital presence. The headquarters is also located within MTU's Department of Social Sciences.
• TICCIHcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe SIA maintains a formal relationship with TICCIH (The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage), an affiliated international organization focused on industrial heritage preservation. The SIA and TICCIH hold joint planning activities.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Society for Historical Archaeology: SHA is a peer scholarly society focused on historical archaeology with a similar membership model, peer-reviewed journal, and annual conference structure. While broader than industrial archaeology, it overlaps significantly in audience of archaeologists, historians, and preservationists.
• TICCIH: The International Committee for the Conservation of the Industrial Heritage is SIA's formal international partner organization. Both focus on industrial heritage preservation, scholarly networking, and global conferences, making TICCIH the closest direct peer in the field.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for State and Local History: AASLH is a membership organization serving history professionals and institutions with conferences, publications, and awards. Its mission overlaps with SIA's professional development and museum specialist-focused offerings.
• Archaeological Institute of America: AIA is a large international archaeological society with membership, publications (American Journal of Archaeology), lectures, and tours. It shares SIA's scholarly society model and partially overlaps with the archaeology side of SIA's membership.
• National Trust for Historic Preservation: The National Trust is a much larger US-based heritage preservation organization with a membership model, publications, and preservation grants. It addresses a broader preservation mandate but overlaps with SIA's industrial heritage preservation mission.

Emerging players

• National Railway Historical Society: NRHS is a national membership organization dedicated to railroad history, with chapters nationwide, publications, and heritage tourism activities. It shares SIA's enthusiast-driven membership model and overlap in transportation heritage preservation.
• Railway & Locomotive Historical Society: RLHS is a membership organization dedicated to railroad history and preservation, with publications and events. It targets a narrower industrial heritage niche (railroads) that overlaps with SIA's transportation and industrial site focus.
• Vernacular Architecture Forum: VAF is a smaller scholarly society focused on vernacular architecture with a peer-reviewed journal, annual conference, and study tours. It shares the small-society scholarly model with SIA and overlaps in historic preservation and field-tour methodology.
• Mining History Association: The Mining History Association focuses on mining heritage research and preservation, with annual conferences and field tours. It directly overlaps with SIA's mine and industrial site documentation mission and shares the small scholarly society structure.

Regional players

• Preservation Alliance of Greater Philadelphia: A regional preservation advocacy organization focused on Philadelphia-area historic sites. While geographically limited, it shares SIA's heritage preservation mission and operates similar events, publications, and membership programs in a regional context.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SocIndustArch
• Facebookfacebook.com/Society-for-Industrial-Archeology-1251401798304213
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/society-for-industrial-archeology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Society for Industrial Archeology