Piester: ICC Will Sharpen Its Focus on Its Core Functions

As the International Code Council celebrates 10 years as a consolidated association, ICC Board of Directors President Ron Piester said he wants the organization to sharpen its focus on its core functions – creating the best building codes in the world, and doing all it can to support its Members and other stakeholders in the important work they do in their various jurisdictions. The Board and management team's conservative approach to financial management, including ICC's recent organizational realignment, is aimed at better positioning the association to provide these essential services to ICC Members and ensure the financial health of the Code Council for the long term.

To further accomplish these goals, Piester spoke about initiatives – new and ongoing – for 2013 that will continue to support ICC’s membership. One vital area he has heard from ICC's Members about is the importance of training and education.

"Our Members rely on quality training and education to advance their professional abilities and to maintain the quality of enforcement that is necessary to ensure safe communities," Piester said. "It's been identified by our board and senior staff as an area where ICC needs to take a hard look at how we deliver training and education, how we create educational opportunities, and see where we can make improvements so we can do a better job."

Chapters play a major role in this area.

"Our Chapters have always been and continue to be the lifeblood of the organization," Piester said. "Chapters incubate the energy of ICC through initiatives and events that occur at the local level. We need to help our Chapters provide quality education to our Members at that level."

Piester added that the Chapter training benefit has historically been recognized by ICC as a valuable benefit to its Chapters and Members. However, the world is changing, and the Council must be prepared to adapt to these changes.

"The benefits that might have been relevant 10 years ago may not be as relevant today because of the dynamics of change that are occurring in our world," Piester said. "We're taking a long look at the issue of Chapter benefits, including education."

Piester said that a new committee, Vision 2023, has been appointed this year and charged with evaluating these issues as well as every aspect of what ICC does as an association. They have been tasked to come up with a vision for how ICC's programs, including Member benefits, are going to look 10 years from now – when ICC celebrates 20 years of consolidation – and how ICC needs to prepare to evolve toward the future.

"It's something our board understands is very important to our Chapters and our Members," he said. "And we're committed to doing the right thing today, tomorrow and for the next 10 years."

Piester said the bottom line and organizing principle for ICC's restructuring late last year was to help the association step back and refocus on "our roots and what is most important to our Members."

"That has forced us to step away from some of the things we have done in the past so that we can commit the appropriate resources to our core functions. Over the course of the next few years, ICC will be making some adjustments to preserve and enhance the benefits and services that are most important to our Members."

"At the local level, resources continue to shrink, and our Members are increasingly challenged by budgetary restraints and travel restrictions," Piester added. "We needed to take a look at all the things we do as an association, and make sure that first and foremost we are focusing on the things that are most important to ICC and our Members. Those things are making quality codes and supporting those codes with the types of services that are necessary to assist our Members and all the people who work for our Members to enforce those codes properly and deliver public safety to our communities."

Finally, Piester wants to assure the membership that in spite of the damage caused by Hurricane Sandy, the 2013 ICC Annual Conference in Atlantic City, N.J., will proceed as planned. "We've been in constant communication with the Atlantic City Convention and Visitors Authority. They are really excited about our conference, and they are looking forward to hosting a great event for us. I have no doubt that our Members who join us in Atlantic City are going to be treated to a show we will not forget."

ICC Celebrates 10-Year Anniversary of Historic Resolution
that Consolidated Legacy Organizations

Pictured at the Jan. 2003 signing ceremony that launched the consolidated ICC are: (seated, left to right) ICBO Chairman Roger Evans, ICBO CEO Bob Heinrich, SBCCI Board President William L. Duck, SBCCI CEO Dominic Sims, BOCA Board Chairman Steve Shapiro, BOCA CEO Paul K. Heilstedt, (standing, left to right) Frank Thompson of the National Association of Home Builders, Ron Nickson of the National Multi-Housing Council, Dave Collins of the American Institute of Architects, and ICC Board President Paul E. Myers.

WHEREAS, Building Officials and Code Administrators International, Inc., ("BOCA"); International Conference of Building Officials ("ICBO"); and Southern Building Code Congress International ("SBCCI") (collectively, the "MCOS") have been providing safety codes, standards and related services that protect the public collectively for more than 190 years; and

WHEREAS, These MCOS, in response to members and industry requests, formed the International Code Council (ICC) in 1994 and produced the nation's first set of fully coordinated family of codes for the built environment, developed through a real consensus process; and

WHEREAS, To further the mission of the MCOS and the ICC, it is desirable to continue the process begun in 1994 by consolidating the remaining services and activities of each organization; and

WHEREAS, To completely answer the call of the construction industry that this and other nations would be better served and safer with a single set of comprehensive and fully coordinated codes for buildings and facilities; and

WHEREAS, The consolidation of these organizations will allow the ICC to fulfill its mission of relieving the burden of government through the continued maintenance of scientifically based model codes and standards; and

WHEREAS, By combining the resources of the MCOS the ICC's ability to expand activities in promoting the important role of all officials who enforce codes and standards will be greatly enhanced thereby contributing to the protection of the homeland; and

WHEREAS, The membership of the three MCOS, at the joint annual conference and business meeting in Fort Worth, Texas, voted to consolidate services, products and operations.

NOW THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that each of the entities by the signatures of their authorized representatives below hereby confirm that all actions required by their Boards and Members to effect the consolidation have been taken, and that the implementation of the consolidation will hereby commence.

Steve Shapiro, C.B.O.
President, BOCA

Roger Evans
Chairman, ICBO

William Duck, C.B.O.
President, SBCCI