Bill Pollard

C. William Pollard joined ServiceMaster in 1977 and has served not once but twice as its CEO. His first term as CEO was from 1983 to 1993, a period characterized by major change, including the introduction and growth of the company’s consumer group.

ServiceMaster provides services to both the commercial and the consumer markets, specializing in management services for the healthcare and education markets, and home services for the residential market under such well-known brands as Terminix, TruGreen, American Residential Services, Merry Maids and American Home Shield.  The Company serves more than 12 million customers in the United States and 44 foreign countries, with customer level revenue of $7 billion.

In 1999, Bill returned as CEO and served for sixteen months until the process of electing his successor was completed. During his leadership, ServiceMaster was recognized by Fortune magazine as the #1 service company among the Fortune 500.  ServiceMaster was also identified as a “star of the future” by the Wall Street Journal and recognized by the Financial Times as one of the most respected companies in the world.  In 2004, Pollard received the Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh Award for Business Ethics at Notre Dame.

Bill is a graduate of Wheaton College, Wheaton, Illinois, and he received a J.D. from Northwestern University School of Law.  From 1963 to 1972 he was engaged in the practice of law, specializing in corporate finance and tax matters, and from 1972 to 1977 he served on the faculty and as a Vice President of Wheaton College.

He is the author of a best selling book, The Soul of the Firm and also has written for or contributed to other books and magazines including The Leader of the Future, Leading People, “The Quest for the Entrepreneurial Spirit,” and “The Leader Who Serves.”

Bill and his wife, Judy, have been married for over 40 years.  They have four adult children and twelve grandchildren