Business acumen forged in Silicon Valley, applied to Bozeman

A corporate titan forged in Silicon Valley with a curriculum vitae that includes major roles at Cisco Systems and General Electric, Bill and his family are now rooted in Bozeman. A local resident and businessman, he has an underlying passion for driving the next generation of businesses, including EVESO, which is underpinned by a community-focused Members’ Club and an all-in-one approach to real estate-backed automotive storage and vehicle stewardship. 

Alongside a role on the board at Magna – a Tier 1 supplier that includes GM, Ford and Stellantis as customers – Bill is a key member of the team surrounding EVESO Founder and CEO Alex Waters that is shaping the EVESO project.

“I am an investor and advisor in start-ups, so I have a portfolio of about six start-ups”, Bill said. “EVESO is different from the other start-ups. All the other start-ups are building technology, or AI-based businesses. That’s everything from AI in the construction business, to AI in the cybersecurity business and building out AI infrastructure.

Mostly, I work with start-ups, and help them become scale-ups, which means they’ve got revenues and they’re building. That’s where I spend most of my time these days. With EVESO, Alex is a good guy, and it’s an interesting, Bozeman-based business that I thought would be interesting to be a part of.”

Passionate about the local area

Bill hints at another motivation for his excitement about EVESO: he is extremely passionate about Bozeman. The city has seen a drive in interest in recent years, growing to become a hub in the American Northwest for automotive and outdoor adventure culture, including skiing, climbing and hiking. 

Bill’s own family has integrated into that growing community, having fallen in love with the area upon first visiting – much like Alex. First, Bill’s son attended Montana State University, where he found his future wife. Then, they moved to Bozeman, where they were subsequently joined by the whole family. 

Now, Bill owns a ranch, real estate businesses and retail businesses in Bozeman and is fully absorbed in the local community. He also has passion for American cars – almost exclusively Corvettes! – and would relish the opportunity to enjoy that passion alongside like-minded people. He sees the opportunity in EVESO for Alex to build that community. 

His personal passions only serve to increase his desire for EVESO to succeed, to provide local gearheads and lovers of the great Montana outdoors with a home for their passions.

“I think you don’t have as much of that in Bozeman, or in Montana. Your choices are golf clubs, and there are a few cattleman clubs, but those are it. And the cattleman clubs, you’ve got to be a rancher! It’s a different mentality joining those. 

So I think when you look at this idea of creating a common club and a set of services and hospitality, it is the high-end golf clubs with those services who are doing well. So, at EVESO, instead of servicing people who want their clubs cleaned and stored, and all that other stuff, you’re servicing people who are auto and outdoor fanatics.”

Strengthening the team

Bill became an advisor to Alex having connected with him in Bozeman. He soon leapt into the EVESO project – a big leap, but one that he felt was possible because of the personal liking that he had taken to Alex.

“I have a certain affinity for Alex; I’m always enamoured by founders who are willing to take risks and push hard. I like to see those people succeed – I’ve had a lot of people help me in my career, so it’s nice,” Bill said.

“I think what’s attractive to Alex is my platform – my business platform, the credibility I can bring. The second thing is the advice I can give him is probably different to the advice that anyone else is going to give him. I tell him exactly what I think! Of course he has to make the decision, so I think he appreciates the honesty.”

Bill’s honesty, combined with his experience, means that he has become a trusted voice at EVESO. He brings both global business knowledge and a local touch to the business, understanding what works at the highest level of commerce while maintaining consciousness of the unique character of Bozeman. 

The surge in the city’s popularity has increased the number of wealthy individuals living in the area, and Bill feels that this only serves to increase EVESO’s potential customer base. 

“I think a lot of EVESO would be attractive to the people who are moving in or buying all these $1-3m first homes or $1-3m second homes, those people would have the wherewithal to buy into this kind of club and the club be very attractive to them. That’s, to me, what is going on in the community; that is why I think Alex has got a unique positioning, and I think it’s just going to continue to rise. 

He’s at the very beginning of a shift where people are looking for this kind of lifestyle.”