Bill Wheeler, Board Chair
I grew up in a family of 5 siblings in Avon, Connecticut, I was the youngest (an advantaged position). Our family life was guided by behavioral boundaries, outside activities both sports and work, and a strong respect for the natural world. Life was strict, active, and fun.
My collegiate academic experience was focused on both economic and business disciplines at both Lebanon Valley College in Annville, PA and Northeastern University, Boston, MA. Post graduate Executive Management Courses were taken at the UCLA Anderson School of Management, Los Angeles, CA.
My business life has been driven by some simple concepts:
- Life is a good teacher if you’re willing to listen, learn, and adapt
- Believe in the process of continual improvement
- Teamwork, hard work, and talent are vital to success
- “Do. Or do not. There is no try” – Yoda
Because I have adapted and learned from the above, I have developed the ability to design, staff, manage, and implement unique and highly effective strategies to meet and/or surpass stated business goals. Skills developed to accomplish the above are:
- Effective and open communication both inside and outside the organization through inclusive listening, and, individualized job responsibilities communicated openly throughout the operating team.
- The willingness to be an advocate of the “process of continual improvement”. No plan is static, it is always being better positioned for success through learning from on-going applied data assessment.
- Being aware of constant changes which vary from the original information used to establish early plans and adapt accordingly.
Basically I build, grow, and surpass expectations through team development and adapting to necessary changes. This took a lifetime of learning and self-development, which still continues.
This learning and success was achieved primarily in small to medium sized medical device companies, building, guiding, and developing sales and marketing groups both domestic and international. In the later stages of my career, I ventured into the startup world and ultimately achieved a successful exit event with my own company.
I have held executive positions and been on Board of Directors for private companies, non-profits and conducted the quarterly calls for a public entity. I very much enjoyed my business career.
My outside interests are family, hiking/climbing mountains worldwide, physical work projects using wood and/or stone, and experiencing as much of the natural world as possible. And, I love raptors.