Chapter of the Year: Ohio Building Officials Association
The Ohio Building Officials Association was honored for its extraordinary performance, advocacy and commitment to code safety during 2022
Each year, the International Code Council recognizes chapters that are a reflection of what the association stands for and that promote its mission and goals. The Code Council honored two outstanding chapters for their accomplishments and contributions at the Chapter Presidents Meeting on Monday, Sept. 12, 2022, during the ICC Annual Conference in Louisville, Kentucky.
The Ohio Building Officials Association (OBOA) was recognized by its peers and presented with the prestigious Chapter of the Year Award — the International Code Council’s highest award that is bestowed upon a chapter and recognizes the extraordinary performance by an International Code Council chapter in promoting the goals and mission of the Code Council.
Since its founding in 1961, the OBOA chapter has been dedicated to promoting safety through consistent enforcement of building codes. But through the years, the organization has worked with the Code Council and statewide agencies to expand its efforts in promoting education and lobbying for changes in laws to make safe construction easier for code officials’ and partners in the community. Those efforts led to the Code Council recognizing OBOA as its Chapter of the Year.
“From sponsoring five educational scholarships and a local event that shares information about careers in code enforcement, to providing testimonies to both Ohio’s House and Senate on various code-related issues, the Ohio Building Officials Association has proven its commitment to code safety,” said 2022 ICC Awards Committee Chair Steve McDaniel on presenting the award.
Robert (Bob) Eifert, chief building official for the City of Dayton Building Department and OBOA president, said “It’s wonderful for ICC to acknowledge the work done by [our] 1,100-member organization. We all feel it’s a great honor.”
Eifert shared that OBOA’s Legislative Committee successfully lobbied for changes in statewide operations, including one to merge two different state agencies certifying plumbing inspectors into one certification program for the state. That entailed coordinating efforts with the Ohio Board of Building Standards and the Ohio Board of Health. They also worked with the Board of Building Standards on the creation of a state-certified permit technician certification.
The technology efforts of the OBOA chapter included gathering a statewide roster of members and the ability to provide video conferencing equipment and a platform for remote meetings and education to its 10 chapters and ICC Region V. This became crucial at the beginning of the pandemic in the spring of 2020.
The chapter is also proud of its longtime commitment to education, including the purchase of ICC Preferred Provider Program status for use by the component chapters, and creating the OBOA Foundation with a 10-year plan for a self-sustaining program to award scholarships to member children and grandchildren as well as to eventually provide scholarships to working people in construction seeking to be certified. “And it’s not just for technical training,” Eifert added. “It’s to help offset the cost of college for construction-related fields, such as engineering and architecture.”
As for continuing education, OBOA has co-hosted an annual conference with one of its component chapters, typically attended by more than 300 people. They provided more than 30 ICC Preferred Provider education classes during these conferences, many of which were offered by the Code Council. Those annual conferences also allowed OBOA and the Board of Building Standards to hold the Code Academy for newly certificated code officials and inspectors.
With its advocacy and education programs throughout the state, OBOA has grown over the years, Eifert explained. Earning the Chapter of the Year honor from the Code Council will help gain ever more. “I’m sure the word will get around to all our partners in the various communities,” he said. “It’s a great thing to be able to talk about as we continue to lobby for and enforce strong codes.”
“Chapter presidents, my fellow board members and I understand the time and effort you contribute on behalf of your chapters,” said International Code Council Board Director Steve McDaniel, who served as the chair of the 2022 ICC Awards Committee. “Today’s awards are a small token of appreciation from the board of directors and the entire Code Council membership. Congratulations to all of you and thank you for your leadership and for the work that you continue to do to support resilient construction and strong building codes.”
The International Code Council congratulates the Ohio Building Officials Association as its 2022 Chapter of the Year.
View past recipients of the Chapter of the Year Award.
Chapters Make a Difference
International Code Council chapters are groups of code officials and industry-related professionals run by volunteers who support and promote the mission and goals of the Code Council. Chapters create partnerships with members of the building community and increase public awareness about the value of code officials in our everyday lives. They provide significant support for the code development process, International Code adoptions and other important Code Council initiatives such as Building Safety Month, the Code of Honor scholarship program and the Raising the Profile campaign.
The Code Council is supported by nearly 400 chapters spread throughout the country and around the world. Chapters are designated as regional, state, local, professional, student or global depending on the geographical area they serve and the nature of their membership. Every Code Council chapter is different. Many chapters focus on a particular discipline such as building, fire, mechanical or plumbing.
Learn more about International Code Council chapters.
