When our editor Kellee Fernandez reserved a corner in the IAS newsletter for some words of wisdom from the president, it felt like a very simple task. But, as I sat down to pen my thoughts for this new opportunity to communicate directly with our stakeholders, my mind immediately went to the 40-plus years that I've been involved with IAS and its predecessor group, the International Conference of Building Officials. I felt humbled by the fact that these four decades of success would not have been possible if not for the solid foundational support I received from giants like James Bihr, Don Watson and John Nosse.

In 2003, I was able to bring together a solid team of professionals to transition us into the ICC family and then take IAS from a $400K organization to over $5 million by December 31, 2013. Recently, we completed our 2013 internal audit and management review. These two very important activities and the action items that resulted brought to surface the many opportunities that lie ahead in the immediate future. The real work begins now to complete all action items successfully within the agreed-to time frame. I want the "fixes" to be done correctly so we continue to be a successful organization in the years to come.

As some of you may be aware, IAS will be a very different organization (leadership-wise) five years from now. So, it is going to be a challenge to manage the transition to a new team in the midst of the tremendous growth track we are on. The time is limited, the pressures will be great; but I'm confident that the outstanding staff and new operational systems we have assembled in the last few years (with more coming) will ensure continued growth and prosperity for the organization.

I salute the many loyal stakeholder-partners of IAS for the enormous trust they have placed in us. I am also grateful that the ICC CEO, Dominic Sims, has taken a keen interest in building the ICC/IAS brand and promoting accreditation within the code-enforcement community. I can assure all of you that IAS management and staff are committed to serve you all with the utmost integrity and care in the coming years.



Chuck Ramani, PE, CBO
IAS President