Bill is a two-term President of the Henderson County Board of Realtors, a community leader and was named "Realtor of the Year" in 2014. He currently serves on the Henderson County Zoning Board of Adjustment and the Henderson County Board of Tax Equalization and Review. He is married to the former Barbara Peterson (since 1980) and they have three grown children and three grandchildren.

I love this business. I just can't imagine doing anything else”

Bill is a residential specialist working primarily in Henderson, Buncombe and Polk counties as well as Upstate South Carolina. He is a highly experienced broker, a consistent multi-million dollar producer and an Asheville native. He is an Accredited Buyer's Representative, a New Home Specialist and also is Residential Construction Certified. He has served on State level committees for the North Carolina Association of Realtors and as a trustee for the Realtor Political Action Committee.

Prior to joining Beverly-Hanks Bill had multiple successful business careers. His background ranges from a first job out of college (N.C. State) as Associate Editor of Car and Driver magazine through four years in the U.S. Army including three years as an officer and Special Forces A-Team Leader (1968-1970). After an injury forced him out of the Army he became a motorsports public relations manager and rose to become Director of Communications for a Fortune 50 company. Being fluent in Spanish he has traveled and worked throughout Central and South America. He and Barbara raised their three children in Asheville. In 1983 he established one of the area's first retail computer stores (ComputerLand of Asheville) and grew it to a six-store operation in Winston-Salem, Hickory, Asheville, Greenville, Spartanburg and Anderson. He sold those in 1993 in order to reduce his travel load with a young family.

In 1994 he established Western North Carolina's first Internet company, Internet of Asheville. He grew the business to serving six counties with more than 8,000 clients before selling to Earthlink in 1999.

In addition to the above he became Asheville's most popular morning drive-time radio talk show host. His personality and on-air support of military veterans caused the American Legion to name him the 1993 North Carolina Talk Show Host of the Year. He also has won awards for creative writing and currently is a contributing editor and real estate columnist for Capital at Play magazine. His annual Real Estate Review is the magazine's most popular recurring feature and is used by agents throughout the region to help newcomers understand the Western North Carolina market.

 "I think my life experience has given me a good understanding of people," Bill says. "A lot of folks come to the mountains with dreams in their hearts and MLS numbers in their hands. Sometimes that works and sometimes it doesn't. My job is to listen for their pleasure and pain and help them determine their real wants and needs. At this point in my life, solving those feelings of pleasure and pain is what I enjoy most, next to my family and church."

Barbara and I are fortunate to count many of my previous clients as among our very best friends.”

Bill is one of the company's most diversely experienced agents. During his military years and for several years afterward he accumulated more than 3,000 parachute jumps and competitive awards including 3rd place in the 1970 US. Military Championships at West Point, NY, facing competition from hundreds of championship jumpers from around the world. In 1976 he gave up jumping and became a race car driver. In his first year he started 16 races and won 14, attracting the interest of Saab Scania of America. For the next five years drove for the Saab factory team in Sports Car Club of America competition. Among his top races he claimed multiple SCCA Divisional titles and was the entrant and co-driver in winning the Longest Day 24-hour endurance race at Nelson Ledges, Ohio. He retired from racing in 1983 to focus on his new family and business. In 2001 his long-time friend Carroll Shelby lured him out of retirement to drive a 289 FIA Cobra for Team Shelby Racing in vintage car races where he returned to his winning ways and won four vintage car events against Corvettes, even more Cobras and other types of cars manufactured prior to 1970.

Bill is very involved in his community. He was an original member of the Asheville Council of Independent Business Owners (CIBO) and was a co-founder of The Asheville Tribune weekly newspaper. He served two terms on the Asheville Public Art Board including a term as vice-chairman. He also served two terms on the Board of Directors of the Asheville Lyric Opera and was also vice-chairman. For 26 years he was a member of the Rotary Club of Arden and in 2000 was the club president. He has served on three church vestries and for four years was the Rector's Warden at All Saints Anglican Church in Mills River, where he also is a 20-year member of the choir. He co-founded the Asheville-Blue Ridge Torch Club and served four terms as President. (Torch is a club dedicated to bridging the intellectual world of academia with the far more practical business experience of local citizens through presentations and discussions at monthly dinner meetings.) He is a member of the Hendersonville Round Table discussion group. He has served two terms as a Director of the Hendersonville Chamber of Commerce.”

I've been in real estate a long time now but I'm forever learning new things. Above all I enjoy the people I meet. Everyone has a story and we all, somewhere, have something in common. I love this business. I can't imagine doing anything else.”

His current hobbies include writing, sketching, photography, cars, choral singing and the occasional call to sing the National Anthem at public events.

Residential real estate sales since 2007. President of the Hendersonville Board of Realtors 2013, 2014, Hendersonville "Realtor of the Year" in 2014. New Home Construction Certified, Relocation Specialist.