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Bill Williams – Introduction
Twelve years ago, I attended a conference north of downtown San Diego at a lovely
resort. The first day at lunch I sat at a table with nine other people. One of these people had a very nice demeanor and a delightful personality. His name was Bill Williams and he had a very engaging way about him that I found
to be fascinating.
As we started getting to know each other, we realized that both of us had been very inspired and highly encouraged by the same movie back in the early eighties called
"Chariots of Fire", and its fabulous theme song. Eric Little, the star of the movie and a string Scottsman, had the courage of his convictions to be counted for his stand on not running in the Olympics on Sunday. As
much as he wanted to compete and he was favored to win a gold medal, he would not compromise that stand for anything or anyone.
Bill graduated with a business degree, and while he had a life changing experience with
Campus Crusade for Christ, he wanted to use his natural business skills and his degree, so he started into the medical profession. He had a company that made surgical artificial hips and knees. He did very well, but after
selling both of his businesses in 1978, he joined the Navigators in their executive outreach area for five years and then he saw the movie "Chariots of Fire" and went back into business.
Bill was the National Vice President of the marketing and sales for the Pyxis Corporation, which ended up being a leader in the health industry with a couple of cutting edge technology products. As one
of the founders of Pyxis, Bill and the other founders had some wonderful stock options. As the company grew profitably, they did a very successful IPO. Bill and his wife Kathy started a foundation and funded it with Pyxis stock
which several years later sold out to Cardinal Health for a billion dollars.
They retired to a mountain property they bought in Colorado, and turned it into their family home. He continued his
relationship with the Navigators organization and their executive outreach. Being up there in the mountains gave Bill the time and opportunity to reflect on hi past and what he really enjoyed doing using his many god given
talents. The Chairman of Cardinal Health called Bill and asked him if he would come back to corporate headquarters in Columbus, Ohio to give him some inside knowledge about the Pyxis Corporation, which they had recently
purchased. At the end of their several hour conversation, the Chairman asked him to come back to Pyxis as President and CEO.
Bill and Kathy prayed about this move, because it necessitated a huge
life style change, and another challenge to their faith. There were so many changes going on with a major corporation, and lots of changes and adjustments he had to make, he did not like. As Bill was sharing his frustrations in
business, he started comparing it with how Jesus must have felt with his frustrations with all of mankind. There was no question in Bills mind that God had put him back into Pyxis to show him how to be a man of love to his
fellow man.
Bill strongly feels that leadership is an incredible process of learning humility. He and Kathy are back in Colorado in their mountain home, trying to be available on how God is going
to continue to use them as they continue to learn unconditional love with each other and for others.
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