Bill Strickland is the President and CEO of Manchester Bidwell Corporation. As part of that role he raised funds and developed the Bidwell Training Center, and training center for single parents, welfare mothers and ex-steel workers in Pennsylvania. I recently saw his presentation in a video from the 2002 TED Conference. Besides giving a great presentation, with style (note to self: try presenting with a jazz pianist playing in the background) he deftly and ably shows his heart. Bill Strickland cares deeply about his students, but I would know that without ever seeing him present, just to see the training center is to know his passion. The building is gorgeous, and just happens to be designed by Tasso Katsalas, a student of one of my favorite architects Frank Lloyd Wright. Hand crafted furniture accent the rooms and world-class art hangs on the walls. Here is what Bill, had to say about the look and feel of the center:
If you want to involve yourself in the life of people that have been given up on you have to look like the solution and not the problem.
On why there is a fountain in the courtyard:
As you can see it has a fountain in the courtyard and the reason is that I wanted one and I had the checkbook and I bought one and put it there.
When asked how the fresh flowers in the hallway got to the building:
Well, I got in my car and I went out to the greenhouse and I bought ‘em and I brought ‘em back and I put ‘em there. You don’t need a task force or a study group to buy flowers for your kids. What you need to know is that the children and the adults deserve flowers in their life, the cost is incidental, but the gesture is huge.
It is inspiring to see someone with such conviction to do good. Not only does it hammer home the power of actions over words, but it shows that the measures you do take don’t always have to be large to make a big impact.
Southern Planner 