Board Profile: James T. Ryan
“The City of Overland Park, Kansas, has traditionally been known for having a very good code administration program both locally and nationally. This reputation brings a lot of pressure to the current staff to live up to this image—it keeps us on the cutting edge,” says Tim Ryan.
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For almost 20 years, Overland Park, Kan., has received national accolades for its reputation as being a great place to live, work and raise a family. In 2006, the town earned the sixth spot on Money magazine’s “Top 10 Best Places to Live in America,” with credit being given for its plentiful housing and prosperous job market.
Tim Ryan, Codes Administrator for the City of Overland Park, and Code Council Board member, has witnessed the growth and change in Overland Park first hand, applying his 29 years of experience to help guide the city through periods of substantial growth.
Incorporated in 1960 with a population of less than 30,000, Overland Park now boasts nearly 170,000 residents, making it the second biggest city in Kansas.
“Overland Park is not a very old community. We have experienced substantial growth in the past 30 years. Although the volume of construction activity continues to be vibrant, it has slowed in the past five years as compared to the 1990s. As a result there are more expectations related to property maintenance issues than ever before,” Ryan said.
Ryan takes pride in bringing the knowledge he gains through his International Code Council involvement back to Overland Park, seeing it as a solid win-win situation. His more than 20 years experience with ICC and the legacy organizations has been an asset to the Code Council as he was actively involved in the organizations’ consolidation, continuing on to serve on the ICC Board of Directors.
“With my training and background, I believe that I have something to give as far as enhancing the quality of life in the built environment,” Ryan said. “I have developed a philosophy of challenging the status quo; I don’t believe in ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it.’”
The professional and personal growth that comes with his ICC tenure also filters down to the community he serves.
“Any growth will automatically enhance the community. Through ICC and the related networking that results we also have access to information that we can take back home and put into use in real-life situations,” Ryan said.
The City of Overland Park, Kansas, has traditionally been known for having a very good code administration program both locally and nationally. “This reputation brings a lot of pressure to the current staff to live up to this image—it keeps us on the cutting edge,” Ryan said. “In turn, we find ourselves with a community that doesn’t have many problems in the built environment; the buildings are well built.
 A part of this success comes from the department’s recent focus on customer service. In an industry where customer service was not always addressed as a key issue, things have changed,” Ryan said. “Customer service is not a luxury anymore. We’re in competition with area cities, and our customers know that they have a choice where they can build. We can’t blur the line between customer service and code enforcement, but we can provide good customer service through strong code enforcement.”
Switching to a more customer-service oriented approach has even reached the hiring process. No longer are staff hired for their technical expertise and training alone. The emphasis is now on hiring people who have both, Ryan said, which leads to a “team concept instead of a functional concept” in Overland Park.
To gauge how it is doing and how far it still has to go, the department uses surveys and focus groups to obtain feedback from its constituents, where it regularly receives high marks for service delivery and quality of work.
As far as the future of the Code Council, Ryan said the organization must keep its thumb on the pulse of the construction industry by developing lasting relationships with different organizations and by staying on the cutting edge. ICC needs to look for new ways to do business.
“Anybody who touches the built environment will play a role. ICC can continue to be the catalyst that brings it all together,” Ryan added. “We’ll need to get our best minds and creative thinkers together to see how our programs are working. ICC is a newer organization, and the sky’s the limit.”
Surrounded by a supportive wife, Mary, and a community and staff which appreciate the extra efforts that ICC involvement requires, makes all the difference. “We need people on the board that not only are talented but have the backing of communities that believe in what they are doing.”
Ryan also thanks Gerry Jones, a former Overland Park Code Administrator, who hired him into the department and served as a mentor. “He had a big impact on me and set the tone for my career.”
When not working, Ryan can be found spending time with his wife and four daughters, playing golf, snow skiing or running in 5K races.
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