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Bill is a product of East Grand Forks, Minnesota. Following high school graduation in 1943, he entered military service. He served with the SeaBees for two and one-half years, including 19 months in the Southwest Pacific. He entered Walla Walla College in 1946 and graduated in 1950. He taught high school the following year. He enjoyed kids but not parents and joined the Walla Walla District, Corps of Engineers in June of 1951.
He worked 31 years in the District as a designer in Foundations and Materials Branch for 22 years spending 8 years on military projects and 14 years on civil works.
Bill was appointed Value Engineering Officer in September 1973.
Bill has lead VE study teams plus conducted training workshops, seminars and lectures across the U. S., Czech Republic, England, Japan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Nepal, West Germany, and Zimbabwe. He has lectured on engineering and value engineering subjects at numerous schools, colleges and universities and prepared and presented technical papers at varieties of state, national and international conventions. He was a VE instructor for Chief of Engineers, Washington, D.C., from 1974 through 1986, the last four years under contract.
He initiated and wrote several annual progress booklets on the Corps' VE program; authored a text, You and Value Whatnot, rewrote portions of the Corps' VE text, lesson plans, handouts and related items and served as advisor and mentor to new VEOs in ten Districts. He has introduced and helped implement VE programs into U.S. government agencies and bureaus, international governments, such as Nepal, and Saudi Arabia and into industry, such as Kodak Chemical.
He has led 430 VE studies on projects such as Seattle subway system, SeaTac International Airport Expansion, Nepal hydro-electric projects, a multi-billion dollar vitrification building to convert liquid radioactive waste into glass, re-engineering Zimbabwe's national railroad, a national management plan for high-level nuclear waste for Yucca Mountain Project and converting a DOE 250-page document to two pages. He has been directly involved in over 1,600 VE studies as a team leader, member or assistant to teams in his 40-hour workshops. He has taught 176 Module I 40-hour VE workshops, two Module II workshops and presented over 600 VE seminars and lectures.
After 31 years with the Corps, Bill retired in May 1982 and established the consulting firm of VALUE ENGINEERING SERVICES TRANSWORLD (VEST).
Bill was the first Corps' VEO to be awarded the Meritorious Civilian Service Medal for outstanding achievement for VE program management and leading studies. He was awarded the ACTION PLUS Excellence Award from the Department of the Navy for a VE study he led on the Industrial Support Complex at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton, WA. A VE study he led was named the Outstanding Civil Works Project In Special Categories for the State Of Washington in 1988. It was the Picnic Point Bridge Replacement project for Snohomish County.
Bill and his wife, Ardys, have been married since 1948, the end of their sophomore year in college. They have one son, Kip.
His hobbies include golf, fishing, acting and directing, traveling, restoring old cars, building a muzzle loading rifle, building a mountain cabin and doing home projects. He has coached in the YMCA basketball program, is a Little Theater member and takes part in various community activities.
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