Rockwall’s Building Official, Jeffrey Widmer, selected as Best Among Peers

ROCKWALL, TX (Oct. 5, 2021) – The Rockwall City Council recognized City Building Official, Jeffrey Widmer, for excellence in his field. Mr. Widmer, has been named the Building Official of the Year for 2021 by the Building Officials Association of Texas (BOAT). Mr. Widmer has been the City of Rockwall’s Building Official since 1998. BOAT members voted on the award and overwhelmingly selected Mr. Widmer for the honor, then presented the award to Mr. Widmer at their state conference held in Denton recently.

At their regular meeting on Monday, October 4, the City Council honored Jeffrey Widmer for this acknowledgement. Fellow Building Officials and past BOAT Presidents, Jim Olk (Garland), and Selso Mata (Plano), as well as current BOAT President and Carrollton B.O., Brett King, were in attendance at the meeting to personally present the award. “Part of our mission with BOAT is post disaster response, and we’ve had a few in the past several years,” said Brett King. “Jeffrey has been indispensable as a hard-working leader of our organization, and we value his contributions.”

Officially dubbed the Jim Whatley Award, it “was established to honor outstanding professionals in the field. The award is only given to a Building Official, who is a manager in charge of construction and code enforcement. Nominees are dedicated to life safety and public welfare.” BOAT’s stated goal is to establish uniformity and efficiency in administering and enforcing building codes and ordinances. Jeffrey Widmer served as the President of BOAT for the past two years, from 2019-21, and before that as the organization’s Vice President.

“Jeffrey is very dedicated and always looking for ways to make things better for our residents here in Rockwall,” said Rockwall Mayor Kevin Fowler. “This recognition from his peers is quite an honor, proving his hard work extends beyond our City with the fellow Texans he selflessly helps behind the scenes, and we wanted to highlight his accomplishments.”

Of the acknowledgement, Mr. Widmer said, “I’ve been honored to serve in this capacity, and I’ve gained so much hands-on experience in this role. The rapid damage assessments we do—to keep cities and buildings safe after a hurricane, tornado, or any natural disaster—allow us to use our specific talents to give back as a team in the communities where we live.” Mr. Widmer will continue to serve on the BOAT Board as Immediate Past President.

Submitted press release, edited for publication in Blue Ribbon News.