Merle joined the company in December 1981 as a salesman, was appointed Executive Vice President in 1992, and assumed his current position in 2006. Merle is a native of Akron, Ohio. He attended Archbishop Hoban High School and later, Princeton University, majoring in religion and graduating summa cum laude in 1972.
He is currently a member of the Business Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, the Board of the Northeast Ohio Green Building Council, the NAIOP National Build-to-Suit Development Forum, and chairman of the Princeton Alumni Schools Committee for the Akron region. He is past president of the Southern Regional Board of Education for the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland and remains very active in the leadership of his local parish and school.
Under Merle’s leadership, Ray Fogg Building Methods has expanded its reach to embrace new markets; to implement advanced design, construction and management technologies; to constantly improve project management and performance; and to implement one of the finest safety programs in the industry – all as part of a strategy of improving profitability through building outstanding value that consistently exceeds the expectations of its customers.