Bill Strickland (Manchester Bidwell Corp.)

Comment

Comment by Nancy Laine "The Matchmaker" on July 5, 2008 at 6:50pm

Please feel free to leave your comments.

Here's a recent photo of Bill in his pottery studio at home in Pittsburgh. He says making pottery helps him relax. (Another favorite hobby is tending to his rose garden.)

And if you know anything about Numerology, you won't be surprised to hear this news!

I just learned that Bill's birthdate is August 25, 1947 and his Life Path number is 9. This means that in this lifetime he's here to walk a supremely "Humanitarian" path known for it's highly caring nature, creative talent, self-less giving, and passion for furthering worthwhile causes.

I'm still in the process of discovering his full birthname. (If you happen to know what the "E" stands for in "William E. Strickland, Jr.", thanks for letting me know!)

Also, I just learned that Bill's wife's name is Rose and he has two daughters, Julie (25), and Olivia Claire (7). He also has 2 new grandsons.

I'm so happy to share this photo of Bill with his wife Rose and their cute little daughter Olivia:

What a sweet family!

P.S. Bill was just named the 2007 Pittsburgher of the Year by Pittsburgh Magazine.

Comment by Nancy Laine "The Matchmaker" on June 16, 2008 at 8:49pm

And here's the best of all!

You are REALLY going to love watching this YouTube video! It was created in 2002 at the famous TED Conference in Monterey, California.

In this video of Bill Strickland's "TED Talk", he tells the inspiring story of his incredible life, accompanied by the music of his close friend, Herbie Hancock (!), who is literally playing a baby grand piano in the background! You will also love his slideshow which adds a very special dimension to his words.

Click HERE to watch the video -- and prepare to be AMAZED! You will instantly understand why Bill is one of my very favorite heroes.

I can't wait to hear your comments!

Comment by Nancy Laine "The Matchmaker" on May 6, 2008 at 5:56am

More about Bill:

He was a poor kid who grew up in a Pittsburgh ghetto. One day in high school he encountered a ceramics teacher who took him under his wing and went on to transform his life.

Bill is now president and CEO of Manchester Craftsmen Guild and Bidwell Training Center, a breathtaking facility that includes a 350-seat jazz auditorium, a 40,000-square-foot greenhouse covering half a city block, a state-of-the-art chemistry lab, a full-scale ceramics department, and a culinary institute.

He just wrote an amazing book called Make the Impossible Possible: One Man's Crusade to Inspire Others to Dream Bigger and Achieve the Extraordinary. (It's also on CD!)

Comment by Nancy Laine "The Matchmaker" on May 6, 2008 at 5:15am

Nothing speaks louder to me than the real life success stories from Bill's projects, and I thought you might appreciate this link so you can read three really good ones for yourself.

Click HERE to read about Sherif, Jenn and Andrea, three former inner city kids whose lives have been changed as a result of Bill's project called the "Manchester Craftsman's Guild"!

(Teaser: Sherif now teaches art at Penn State and will soon have his PhD. He had come from a family of 12 children and didn't speak to white people outside of school.)

Comment by Nancy Laine "The Matchmaker" on May 5, 2008 at 9:49pm

Bill Strickland is one of my very favorite heroes because he is the ULTIMATE example of a connector!

....AND partly because of this, he has no doubt literally saved the lives of scores of inner city kids who would have died on the streets if it hadn't been for his dream of sharing his love for art and music in a VERY creative way. (If you love art and music, you are going to LOVE Bill!)

Click HERE to learn more about this amazing man---and his very famous friends!

Love,
Nancy

P.S. Please add your comments about why you love Bill too!