Photo by Jon Anderson.
Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Bill Powell rings a bell to get the attention of a mingling crowd at the chamber’s Oct. 19 luncheon at the Hoover Country Club. Powell is retiring at the end of the year after 22 years with the chamber.
He has been the face of the Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce for 22 years, but the time has come for chamber Executive Director Bill Powell to retire.
Powell, 71, said he plans to step down at the end of this year.
When Powell first came to the chamber in the summer of 1995, it had about 300 members and about 30 people coming to monthly luncheons. Today, the chamber has more than 1,200 members and 180 to 200 people attending luncheons.
“I’d say he’s done a heck of a job,” said Kathleen Spencer, a longtime chamber member who has served about 10 years on the board of directors. “He’s a very fair guy — tries to stay out of politics, but really connected to the chamber and volunteers. He pretty much has given his life to the chamber … He’s been somewhat of an icon.
Powell has been instrumental in starting numerous initiatives at the chamber, Spencer said.
He initiated the first chamber golf tournament, and in August of this year, the 22nd annual event raised almost $20,000. Before Powell became executive director, the chamber had never given out scholarships, but in 22 years, the chamber has awarded more than $200,000 in scholarships, including about $18,000 this year.
The chamber also started honoring the Hoover police and fire department employees of the year under Powell’s leadership, as well as the employees of the year for the city and school system. The chamber each year gives out a Freedom Award to a role model who promotes the ideals of freedom and supports the government and U.S. military.
But Powell, perhaps more than anything, has done a great job of creating a close-knit chamber where people are involved and stay involved, Spencer said. It’s easy to lose people if you don’t stay in touch with them, but Powell does well at connecting with people and keeping them connected with others, she said. “He’s worked very, very hard at it, and I think it shows,” she said.
Powell said he believes chambers of commerce are an important tool for helping small businesses thrive, providing opportunities to meet other business people and creating a sense of community.
Powell started his career in his family’s electronics business at age 13 and stayed in it until he was 34, he said. The family business started in Sheffield and expanded with two stores, Powell Electronics and Powell Wi-Fi, in Birmingham in the 1970s, which is when he moved to the Birmingham area, he said.
In 1981, he took a job with the world headquarters of Civitan International, conducting training on how to organize new clubs and recruit members. He stayed there 11 to 12 years and then spent a couple of years selling life insurance for New York Life before coming to the chamber.
He would like to leave by the end of the year but is willing to stay another month if necessary to get a new executive director in place, Powell said. He already has lined up speakers for all of the luncheons in 2018 and scheduled the Coffee & Contacts morning gatherings and Business After Hours events, he said.
Once he retires, Powell plans to spend more time with his wife, Gail, who retired 15 years ago and has overcome cancer and battled other illnesses. If she can get well enough, they hope to travel, he said.
Powell also hopes to start riding his bicycle again. “I used to ride up to 100 miles at a time,” he said. He may even do a triathlon, he said.
Powell said he can’t take credit for all the accomplishments of the chamber because there have been outstanding chamber presidents, board members, staff members and volunteers who make everything work.
The best part of his job has been the friends he has made along the way, he said.
“It’s been the best job I could ever imagine,” Powell said. “I’m pretty fortunate to love 95 percent of my job … It’s been a great blessing for me to have it.”
