Career, kids and caring (plus a bit of humor)

Photo: Sharon Bouchard

Bill Holmquist

NORWAY – All work and little time to play does not make Bill Holmquist a dull guy. Taking some time out of his business at Goin’ Postal and being a busy dad and grandfather, Holmquist still finds time to care about others.

Q: Where were you born and where were you brought up?

A: I was born in Farmington. Moved to Peabody, Massachusetts until age 4 then moved to Gray and still live there.

Q: Do you have many siblings?

A: One.

Q: What did your parents do?

A: My dad has owned many different businesses, but the primary ones were Heritage Metalcraft, a Foundry and Five Star Real Estate. My mom was a painter at Heritage Metalcraft and owner and took care of my brother and me.

Q: What was it like growing up?

A: Being a kid of a family that owns a small business, especially one like the foundry that had a retail shop and was opened seven days a week meant that at any given moment we may have to stop doing what were doing and head to the shop.

My brother was 4 and I was 8 when my dad bought the foundry and that is pretty much when we started learning what work meant. Don’t get me wrong, we had plenty of fun growing up but was not the same as any of the other kids we grew up with.

Work always took precedence over funtime.

Q: Where did you go to school?

A: Westbrook College and University of Southern Maine.

Q: Did you get into mischief or play pranks?

A: Yes, nothing that ever landed me in jail – we’ll just leave it at that.

Q: What have you had for jobs?

A: Heritage Metalcraft – Plant Manager, National Semiconductor – Supervisor, Sprague Electric – Supervisor, AVX – Production Manager, Nichols Portland – Supervisor and Engineer, E-M-Solutions – Supervisor and Engineer, Grover Gundrilling – Operations Manager, NECS and PCCI – Sales, and finally Goin’ Postal.

Q: When and how did you meet your spouse?

A: In high school.

Q: What did you do for work when you got married?

A: Plant Manager at Heritage Metalcraft.

Q: Anyone ever said you look like someone famous?

A: Nope.

Q: Did you do much traveling?

A: I’ve been to over half the states in the US, Canada and Europe.

Q: Which place was the most fascinating and why?

A: Wherever I travel to is what I focus on.

Q: Did anyone influence you to the point of changing your direction in life?

A: Scott Peacock convinced me to open up a shipping store with him and going on nine years later, I’m still doing it and he’s gone back into the corporate world.

Q: Do you collect anything or have a hobby?

A: I used to have time to collect things and have hobbies, but little time is left at the end of the day nowadays.

Q: What is the last book you read?

A: Don’t remember the title off-hand. In general I enjoy any type of book, but recently technical books or kids’ books (reading to my grandson) are the ones that I seem to read the most.

Q: What subject do you with you knew more about?

A: Science and Engineering.

Q: What is the one thing you could not give up?

A: Breathing, everything else is a luxury.

Q: Do you have children?

A: Two, son Trevor and daughter Kelsey.

Q: What was the best memory that this interview brought back?

A: Times when life wasn’t as frantic.

Q: What would you like people to know about you?

A: In high school I tested off the charts in the Science and Technical aspects and I actually scored close to a zero in the Humanities and Welfare areas. The guidance counselor didn’t know what to make of my scores. I felt that worrying about people just got in the way of progress.

It wasn’t until I started working at National Semiconductor and managing departments with 40 or more people, I realized that truly caring about others' needs helped me become more successful.

Over the years I grew to understand how caring about others is as important, if not more so, than technology. Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a lover of technology, but I spend much more of my time attempting to help others.

Q: Last day or earth; what would you do and with whom?

A: Spend it with my wife and family.

Q: If anyone could walk in right now, who would you want to see?

A: Anyone with a smile and no problems.

Q: Any regrets?

A: Not really.

Q: What scares you the most?

A: I just go with the flow, but experiencing the death of my children or grandchildren would be something I guess I fear the most.

Q: Any hidden talents?

A: Telling really bad jokes, hence this needs to remain hidden.

Q: Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

A: Hopefully above ground.