Bill grew up in Northeast Ohio spending lots of time learning from his neighbor about rocks and minerals, and being inspired by a high school earth sciences teacher to enter the field of Geology. After receiving a basketball scholarship from the Univ of Alaska Fairbanks and receiving a diploma in Geological Engineering, he was able to mix his love of geology, hunting, fishing and traveling the world into one package. Bill spent the next 25 years traveling throughout the world, working in North and South America in Natural Resource development while spending significant time convincing his family to take up the hobby of rockhounding throughout the Western US rock hounding.

While not traveling the world, Bill still enjoys trying to keep up with his sons who are rafting guides during the summers in the Western US, rafting the Pacific Northwest and rock hounding and hiking in Oregon, Washington, Alaska and the Andes in South America.