Today, we’re celebrating the retirement of Bill Pinard, who brought kindness, humor, and genuine warmth both to our office and to our clients.
Bill joined the company in 1985, bringing with him several years of project management and software testing experience, and, interestingly, a background in nuclear utilities and energy. Over the decades, he has worn an impressive number of hats, serving as Product Analyst I and II, Senior and Lead Product Analyst, Account Manager, Project Manager, Senior and Team Management, Analyst Team Leader, Senior Systems Analyst, and contributing across Project Scheduling, Management, Support, and Quality Assurance (QA) departments.
Bill’s career is filled with stories that reveal just how much clients and coworkers valued him, not just for his expertise, but for his steady presence and good humor. His years of client work came with more than a few memorable adventures, including the time he was evacuated from a smoke-filled Washington D.C. Metro train after an electrical fire, only to be interviewed on Fox News moments after climbing out of the tunnel. Clients spotted him on the news that night and reached out the next morning, worried and wanting to make sure he was okay. And during his first international implementation, he famously left his backpack (and his passport) in a client’s car after an evening at a local pub. With nothing more than a faint memory of the village and a single prior visit to the client’s home, he convinced a taxi driver to head into the countryside at dawn. Fortunately, a few familiar landmarks appeared, the owner was awakened, the passport recovered, and Bill reached the bus terminal just as his bus arrived. Phew!
Outside of work, Bill’s talents and hobbies are just as memorable. He is an accomplished mandolin and banjo picker, a master wallyball player (before he broke too many fingers!), and a genuinely savvy systems analyst with extraordinary patience for complex technical challenges. No matter how difficult the issue is, Bill never seemed to get ruffled. He brought a steady, calm, methodical presence to every interaction, earning deep respect and trust from everyone who worked with him.
After several years in the Support Center, Bill moved into QA in late 2015, applying his characteristic patience and methodical problem-solving to a new area of the company. In 2023, he shifted back into the Support Center, returning to the frontline of helping clients and coworkers alike. Bill summed up his new assignment in client support by saying, “I ended up in the Land of Narnia, so my career is drawing to a close on a high point!”
Finally, if you ever worked with Bill, you know the real highlight of any day was his latest granddaughter anecdote. She delivered comedy gold on a regular basis, and Bill relayed each precocious moment with the perfect mix of pride and deadpan delivery.
AdvantageCS is sincerely grateful for Bill’s four decades of dedication, expertise, and kindness. His presence will be deeply missed, but the mark he leaves on our team and on every person he worked with is enduring.
And…if you are still wondering what Bill meant to all of us, just look at the forty words his AdvantageCS coworkers chose to describe him:
- Patient
- Unflappable
- Friendly
- Dedicated
- Persistent
- Good Listener
- Thorough
- Kind-hearted
- Good Sense of Humor
- Calm
- Steady
- Helpful
- Empathetic
- Warmhearted
- Genuine
- Adaptable
- Master at Projects
- Generous
- Tricksy
- Cheerful
- Excellent writer
- Music Man
- Good-natured
- Knowledgeable
- Detailed
- Cordial
- Pleasant
- Real
- Welcoming
- A Treasure
- Puckish
- Master of Humor
- Hard Working
- Excellent handwriting
- Good Singer
- Bearded
- Willing to Teach
- Mellow
- Dependable
Congratulations, Bill, and thank you for everything. We wish you and your family all the best!
