Municode in Business for Seven Decades
70 Years of Connecting You & Your Communities
[TALLAHASSEE, FL]: Municode, the leading provider of cloud-based digital engagement software solutions specifically designed for local governments, announced its 70th Anniversary today.
Municode's founder, Mr. George Langford, was drafted into the United States Army and served in Patton’s Third Army as a combat engineer. Surviving the invasion of Normandy, Mr. Langford helped lead the Allies across the battlefields of France and ultimately on to victory. With his G.I. Bill in hand, Mr. Langford attended the University of Virginia, receiving his Bachelor’s and Law degree. During his summers, Mr. Langford worked for the Mickie Company’s City Code Division and learned the basic structure for codes of ordinances.
Seeing a better way to build code books and provide ongoing service, Mr. Langford founded Municipal Code Corporation with the idea of making the books loose-leaf so that new ordinances could be added without having to reprint the entire volume. The company was incorporated March 21, 1951. The first client was Tallahassee, Florida, but when the newly-formed Florida League of Cities invited Mr. Langford to speak at their conference, the number of clients quickly grew. Today, that small family-owned codifying company, known as Municode, has grown to be the nation's leading codifier, hosting online the largest collection of codified law and original ordinances in the country, featuring over 3,900 local government codes and 190,000 individual ordinances.
"To this day, Municode is still driven by the entrepreneurial spirit of our founder, which has enabled us to push new boundaries and consistently expand our offerings for over 4,250 municipalities across our nation," said Eric Grant, President and CEO. “It’s amazing that a paper and ink legal publisher like Municipal Code Corporation could evolve into a vibrant provider of software solutions,” said Lawton Langford, Chairman of the Board. “It’s as if we are a 70-year-old startup! Our success has always been built upon a dedication to customer service, an openness to new ideas and technology, a willingness to challenge the status quo and leading with a servant’s heart.”
Over the last couple of decades, the company's suite of product offerings has expanded beyond codification in response to their local government clients' evolving needs for digital engagement solutions. They developed a unique integrated software platform referred to as The Circle of Governance™, which brings together five crucial civic management areas: Codification of the local law, Public Meeting Management, Public Document Archiving, Policy and Procedures Publishing, and Website Design. These products increase transparency for local governments and their communities.
"In the big picture, when you think about what Municode does, we strengthen democracy. We do that by connecting the communities with their residents in powerfully meaningful ways. We have developed a suite of products that enables us to do that in a way that nobody else can. You can connect to the meetings; you can connect to the website and connect to the code. And all of that can push information from one location out to multiple community engagement points." says Grant.
Over the last 70 years, Municode's mission of strengthening democracy has become a reality. Today, the company helps municipalities connect with their citizens for more than 4,250 local governments, potentially reaching more than 200 million people.
"As we celebrate this milestone, we would like to thank our valued clients for trusting Municode over the last 70 years with such an important part of democracy," says Woody Estep, Vice President of Marketing at Municode. "The company has achieved success through the hard work, passion, and dedication of our team members who have served the company throughout our history; and our culture of customer service that exists throughout the entire company. Throughout 2021, we will be looking back at where we started, what we have achieved, and what our plans are for the future."
About Municode: For 70 years, Municode has worked with over 4,250 local governments, creating integrated technology solutions purpose-built to provide new levels of efficiency and transparency for any size local government. Our solutions include Codification Services, Meeting & Agenda Management, Website Design & Hosting, Self-Publishing Software, Policy & Procedures Software, and a Document Archival Tool. Our industry-leading solutions can work independently or together as The Circle of Governance™. At the center of everything we do is our desire to connect local governments with their communities in meaningful ways, strengthening democracy.