Doug Williams has been appointed interim director of the Ellis County Coalition for Economic Development. He assumes the duties of Aaron White, who recently left the organization after seven years at its helm. Williams will lead the operations until a long-term replacement is found.
Williams is a lifelong entrepreneur and has been involved in a wide variety of business interests during his 30 year career. He spent the first 14 years of his career in the real estate business as a broker/owner of a RE/MAX franchise. During that time, Williams was involved in numerous real estate investment projects and gained considerable experience and knowledge in creatively structuring and financing transactions. He was 1985 Realtor Associate of the Year for the Hays Board of Realtors and the President of the Hays Board of Realtors in 1986.
In 1991, Williams founded System Solutions Inc., a company involved in the sale of IBM information systems. The company began with two employees and grew to 75 employees at the time it was sold to Rural Telephone Service in 1997. Williams then started InfiniTec, Inc. and Medical Business Resources. Infinitec, Inc., a computer software company, was the primary software provider for over 70 of the 105 county governments in Kansas. Infinitec, Inc. was sold to Wheatland Electric Cooperative in 1999. Medical Business Resources, a physicians billing service, was sold in 2003. In 2005, Williams re-entered the real estate business in Hays. He was the 2010 President of the Hays Board of Realtors and 2016 Hays Board of Realtors Realtor of the Year.
“The coalition is critically important to the long term growth and prosperity of our community, and I know that the Board of Directors and I are committed to work towards making that happen any way we can,” Williams said.
Williams has attended advanced courses in the areas of entrepreneurship, business ownership, and salesmanship. These courses include The Wharton Business Schools Entrepreneurship Class, IBM Sales School, and the Owner-Presidents course at The Harvard Business School. In 1997, he was the first recipient of the Harley L. Rhoads Small Business Achievement Award presented by the Hays Chamber of Commerce.
“We want to sincerely thank Aaron for his dedicated service to the Coalition over the last seven years,” said Ron Fields, board chairman. “Aaron was a valued contributor to the economic growth and development of Ellis County.
“The Coalition has reached an important transition point, and it is well-positioned to advance the economic expansion of this region,” he added. “Doug Williams brings a wealth of experience and long-established relationships to the organization. He will guide the Coalition during this interim phase to continue all current projects.”
The Coalition is a not-for-profit organization aimed at advancing the economic health and vitality of Hays and the surrounding communities. Long known for its efforts to promote a robust local economy through business creation, retention, expansion, and recruitment, the Coalition has offered instrumental support toward numerous community successes. A few of those include the arrival of Hobby Lobby, a soon-to-be constructed convention center, development of innovative job training initiatives, and BriefSpace, a co-working space and business incubator that will be opening soon in downtown Hays. The Coalition also administers a housing redevelopment program and training programs designed to offer skilled-trade training to area workers.
DISCLOSURE: Ron Fields is director of converged media at Eagle Communications.