A Fruitful Career 

This year, the ASHI 2024 President’s Staff Award had two deserving recipients—Tim Buell and Rhett Claypool (more on Claypool in the next issue). Established in 1989, the President’s Award is presented by the outgoing ASHI President in recognition of outstanding service to the association. 

The timing of Buell’s recognition is bittersweet, as he officially retired June 30, 2025. “This is the third time I’ve retired,” Buell laughed when we chatted in May. 

Now 75, Buell has been in several roles with ASHI. He started working with ASHI as a board member in 2012 and served as president and treasurer before becoming ASHI’s financial services director in 2019 after retiring briefly in 2015. “My background is in accounting. That’s my college degree,” he said. “I did accounting for several years before deciding to change things.” 

He loved remodeling his home and fixing things, and around that time, his children asked him if he’d ever consider going into home inspection. In 2002, he and his wife Mariana started their Pillar to Post franchise, which they ran for 13 years. 

Buell has also served as president, treasurer, and education chair of the Ohio chapter of ASHI before being on the national board. Today, he proudly says he leaves ASHI in a stronger position. “What I’ve loved most about ASHI are the relationships I built, and I am just trying to leave them in a better place than they were when I started,” he said. 

“Since 2012, ASHI has been a significant part of my life,” Buell said. In addition to his many roles on the board, he worked to streamline and automate ASHI’s financial services after transitioning into the accounting role. “We’ve successfully integrated Nimble, the website, Bill.com, and Hubdoc with QuickBooks Online—a project I’m proud to have completed,” he said. ASHI’s financials are 100% paperless and fully automated.

Over the years, mentors have meant much to Buell and his career, including past president Bill Jacques from Charleston, South Carolina, and Board Member Bill Sutton from Boston. He also points to ASHI stewards like James Thomas, Mark Goodman, Lisa Alajajian Giroux, and Bruce Barker as positive, helpful forces in his time with ASHI. 

As part of the nationwide association, Buell has worked with many types of people over the years, and the experience offered him a chance to learn from others, he said. “Within ASHI, you deal with so many different personalities and people from all across the country, so you must be flexible and understanding.” He said that it also helps ASHI because it offers varying perspectives. “That can be a challenge, but it’s also a positive,” he said. 

Regarding home inspection, he advises anyone starting out to market and treat their business appropriately. “You have to run it like a business. It has been estimated that 80% of home inspectors fail because they didn’t market or know how to run a business.” 

A colleague once told him: “Market, market, market, and when you’re sick and tired of marketing, market some more.” Buell and his wife ran their franchise together. “I did the home inspections, and my wife did the marketing. People ask, ‘Why were you successful?’ I say it was because of my wife. She was there daily, calling on REALTORS, bankers, mortgage people, and attending events. She was the one who got our name out there.”

Buell said he’s had a wonderful life and career. He has six grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. He’s looking forward to spending more time with them in retirement, seeing friends, being active in his church, and getting in a few extra rounds of golf. “I’m in good health, and my wife has been very understanding,” he said. “She’s happy that I was at ASHI, and she’s also happy that I’m retiring for the third and final time,” he laughed. “It’s just time. When you’re at this age, you don’t know how much longer you have. You could have a day, a month, 10 years, 15 years, but it’s time for me to start enjoying whatever time the good Lord has for me.” 

Buell said, “It has been a privilege to serve this remarkable association, and I am immensely grateful for the experiences and connections I have made along the way. I wish you and ASHI every success in the future.”