An American Entrepreneur

THE AMERICAN SPIRIT EMBODIED. Born onto an Arkansas farm during the Great Depression, William T. Phillips recognized early on the importance of independent thinking and the entrepreneurial spirit. After serving as an airman during the Korean War and working odd jobs, Mr. Phillips founded PSI, eventually acquiring several other companies and now earning more than $120 million in revenues each year.

THE AMERICAN SPIRIT EMBODIED Serving during the Korean War, Airman Bill Phillips witnessed the first-ever B-52 bombers flying overhead. More than fifty years later, his company, Phillips Service Industries, would be charged with revamping the systems on those same aircraft as well as developing the B-1 bomber control system, rebuilding U.S. nuclear missile silos and designing components for the Mars rovers and the space shuttle s robotic arm. How did an Arkansas farm boy go from working in his grandfather s fields to building a major corporation that s considered a world leader in aerospace technology and national defense? By never backing out of a contract or backing down from a fight. Sticking to the basics upon which this country was founded hard work, integrity, ingenuity and entrepreneurship Bill forged a company that has succeeded where many others have failed. From brawls on inner-city streets, showdowns with the union, and struggles to provide for his wife and eight children, to his meetings with the Pope and the president of the United States, Bill s insightful, often hilarious anecdotes reveal a man not easily pigeonholed. A country boy at heart, he counts among his friends heads of state, NFL team owners, bishops and corporate leaders many of whom he s discussed business and life with while waist-deep in water, fishing pole in hand. A patriot, family man and a voracious reader, Bill Phillips has held on to old-fashioned American values while helping to forge a new America. He has seen the world go from dials, dirigibles and hydraulics, to voice command, Predator drones and computer-aided direct manufacturing that allows NASA exploration equipment to rebuild itself in space. He s had a hand in radical changes that have redefined aerospace, national defense and American industry in general Though Bill Phillips might not be a household name, the company that bears his name, Phillips Service Industries, employs over 600 people as well as three generations of the Phillips family, generates over $130 million in revenue per year and, through its commitment to our national interests, helps America sleep more securely at night. His is a true American success story.