A Career Motivated by Passion: Paul Myers’ Valuable Contribution to the Formation of the Code Council

2024 marks a significant milestone for Paul Myers, Chief Building Official for the City of Loveland, Ohio, as he celebrates an impressive 50th anniversary of working in the building safety industry.

Paul’s influence extends beyond his impressive tenure, shaping the industry by inspiring the next generation of building officials and contributing to the establishment of the International Code Council.

The Code Council was established 30 years ago to develop a single set of national model construction codes. Paul played a significant role in aiding this groundbreaking initiative.

Cultivating a Fulfilling Career in Building Safety

For Paul, his start in the building safety industry began as a fluke. After graduating with a degree in Architecture from the University of Cincinnati, he initially embarked on a career in an architecture firm within the city.

However, he soon found that this career path lacked the growth and compensation he desired. So, fueled by a desire to do more, Paul began exploring different opportunities.

“I started looking around and heard about a job in code enforcement,” said Paul. “At that time, I only had a rudimentary idea of what the profession was, but I answered the job ad anyway and got into the City of Cincinnati’s Building Department.”

It didn’t take long for Paul to grasp the intricacies of the job. His engagement and fascination with the industry bolstered the speed at which he was able to learn the necessary skills. He quickly became excited about everything he was learning about and was eager to understand the basis of building codes and the importance of ensuring they are applied correctly in his community.

“I thought I would be there only two, no more than three years… learn what I can and move on. But 30 years later, I had an absolutely grand career. After I understood what was going on I really enjoyed it. I never had a day of regret that I should have done something else or gone back to architecture.”

Entering the Code Development World

Paul first became involved in the code development world during a Southwest Ohio Building Officials (SWOBOA) meeting where he was nominated from the floor to be the treasurer of the organization.

In 1980, Paul attended his first Building Officials and Code Administrators International (BOCA) meeting held in Cincinnati.

“I was fascinated by the whole code development process. All these guys traveled long distances just to give their opinions, and the level of expertise that was engaged in developing the codes was impressive.”

After being introduced to the code development world, Paul started to take more initiative and began developing code changes himself, representing SWOBOA. He then went on to serve two terms as President of OBOA and got on the BOCA board, where he chaired several committees and later became President.

“The backbone of the Code Council is the whole code development process that brings in the manufacturers, building officials, fire officials and many more. Everybody is engaged and everyone who has an opinion about a code section can speak their mind and express their rationales. It’s what keeps the code updates flowing year after year. It really gives you a good evaluation of the myriad of changes that are put forth and the impact they can put on different occupancies.”

SEE RELATED: Get Involved: International Code Council Board of Directors

The Formation of the International Code Council

When reflecting on the efforts that went into the formation of the Code Council, Paul remembers sitting in a meeting in Hawaii with the CEO of BOCA where they were discussing the initial ideas of the merger long before the initiative gained substantial momentum.

SEE RELATED: Three Decades of Excellence: The Code Council Launches Year-Long Celebration Marking 30 Years of Building Safety and Innovation

The consolidation of the three legacy organizations, Building Officials and Code Administrators International, International Conference of Building Officials and Southern Building Code Congress International, Inc., was desired by a vast majority of industry organizations and professionals. They sought a unified set of building codes, and the merger fulfilled this collective desire.

The process of establishing the Code Council was no easy feat. “There were a lot of dualities going on at the time,” said Paul. “The development of a new standardized code, based on the old codes, while continuing maintenance of the old codes so that jurisdictions could use them until the International Codes® were produced – it was a difficult situation.”

“It was easily a 10-year process from start to finish to get everything to the point where we could legally be in the position to move forward.”

Once the Code Council was officially established, the industry benefits were clear to those in the field.

“Uniformity about building safety is key.”

Aiding the Global Impact of Building Safety – A Journey of Industry Involvement

Embarking on a career in the building safety industry can not only open doors of opportunity but can also shape a remarkable professional journey, as exemplified by Paul.

His career in the industry led him to become an active member of the World Organization of Building Officials (WOBO), an organization that brings together individuals and groups – encompassing building officials, code administrators, organizations and individuals – seeking to enhance and increase the level of public safety within the built environment.

In the 1990s, Paul’s commitment to WOBO took a turn when he was appointed as the Chair of the organization’s Nominating Committee, which included members from Saudi Arabia and Australia.

As part of the Nominating Committee, Paul and the other members traveled to Dubai for a nomination presentation, where Paul was unexpectedly asked to conduct the elections.

Paul’s successful execution of the elections did not go unnoticed. Subsequently, he received a call inviting him to consider becoming a board member of WOBO. This marked the beginning of a transformative period for Paul, who has since served as the President of WOBO for an impressive eight years and is currently in his third term.

Inspiring Others to Join the Building Safety Industry

For Paul, his profession is more than just a job – it is a genuine passion. Building safety professionals are the silent defenders of public safety, and for Paul, that idea was truly motivational.

Paul also finds himself driven by the diverse tasks that he is met with each day.

“I could be working on five, six or seven different projects a day. The diversity of it and the volume of it was fascinating – I could be working on a high rise in the morning, and in the afternoon be working on a residency.”

When encouraging folks to join the building safety industry, Paul regularly shares the profound impact his career has had on his life.

“My first question to people who are interested in joining the field is, ‘I’ll give you a quarter if you could tell me where Bishkek is.’ To which I am usually met with a blank stare. I then ask, ‘Do you know where Kyrgyzstan is?’ And that is met with the same response. I then share with them that this is a capital city and one of the places I was able to travel to because of my career in code enforcement.”

“I’ve been to countless places like Mexico City, Cairo, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and more. There are opportunities out there, and if you think you could beat my life story with yours right now, then I’m willing to listen. If not, then give a career in building safety a thought.”

Paul shared that if people are offered a career in building safety, then his key advice is to just take it. “It is viable to just about everybody and is truly a worthwhile career.”

“Like anything in life, you get out what you put into it.”

Visit the Code Council’s 30th-anniversary website featuring an interactive timeline showcasing major moments in Code Council history, a photo gallery spanning the years and a short documentary video that features important voices from the past three decades.