Remembering William "Bill" Shiner 1941-2020

Intro The last few months have been full of sorrow from many different directions with the virus, the lockdowns, loss of jobs, markets, and civil unrest. In the middle of all of this, we have also had bad news about several of our colleagues in the laser industry. The laser industry itself will, I am sure, come out strong because it is a vital and important enabler. The industry is also strong because it has strong anchors in many of the leaders who were around for the start of this still relatively young branch of manufacturing technology. People like Bill Shiner. Bill has been a fixture at conferences around the world for over 40 years, most recently associated with industry giant IPG where he helped grow the company from a small entity to one of the industry’s superpowers. Everybody knew Bill; everybody liked Bill. I have been in the industry for 35 years and sometimes I think I have been just about everywhere and done just about everything. Bill has got me beat by a mile. A Few of My Experiences I had met Bill and spoken to him on the phone a number of times and we worked on a few minor things together during his time at Convergent, but I never got to know him very well until afterward. In fact, at the time we were looking to expand at PhotoMachining and we thought we might entice Bill into joining us as a Consultant and maybe as an employee longer-term – honestly thinking that it might be hard for ‘the old guy’ to get another high-level job in the laser industry and we might get him ‘cheap’. When I called him and asked if he had any interest he politely declined and said he was going to work for some company named IPG that made fiber lasers. I didn’t think he’d make any money doing it, but at least it was a pretty close commute for him. The rest is history. I also knew a couple of other people in the laser industry who tried and failed at sales and marketing at IPG in the early days for whatever reason (probably the product and market maturity), but this did not stop Bill. I remember what he told me, “Ron, I have spent my whole life preparing for this job.” In his capacity at IPG and long before Bill was always a very strong LIA supporter, lending financial, facilities, and personnel assistance over many years. A few years after Bill joined IPG he got the idea to promote local LIA chapters and pushed it to the LIA Board. His idea was to have a system of local chapters to get people involved in LIA who would not normally get to come to the National conferences (especially students) and also to increase membership. (SME – Society of Manufacturing Engineers - has a similar model what works well for them). A local company would sponsor a dinner, cash bar, and then a one hour talk by some industry expert on some aspect of laser processing – the speaker to be chosen by the organizer. Characteristically, at the organizing meeting, Bill volunteered to host the first LIA Northeast Regional Event – and then turned to me and told me that he already had picked a speaker for the first event, winked and said: “How about YOU doing a talk on starting and running a small, high tech laser business?” We had already had a couple of beers so it was not hard to convince me to agree and in fact, we had a great opening night with I think about 100 people in attendance. That one hour talk eventually expanded The Real Bill I consider Bill to be a great friend, but frankly I only really knew him in an expanded professional manner. I knew Bill had children and grandchildren and enjoyed spending time on the Cape, but only recently did I learn more. I knew his close friends and probably family called him Billy, but I never heard him called that by anyone in the laser industry. I get it – my family and elementary school friends still call me ‘Ronny’ and my big brother still calls me ‘kid’! I have met Bill’s lovely wife Nicki on many occasions, but I did not realize that they were high school sweethearts and had been married for 61 years. My math tells me that Bill was 18 when he was married and started on his life’s journey with his life’s mate. This wonderful relationship produced 3 children, 9 grandchildren, and 6 greatgrandchildren and counting. Even though Bill traveled extensively throughout the world, usually promoting laser applications (but sometimes vacationing with his wife and family), he really was a homebody with a firm base in central Massachusetts. He was born in Worcester, grew up in Auburn, attended Worcester Junior College and Northeastern University and spent basically his entire life within a few hundred miles of where he was born, yet intimately knew many environments around the world. Bill was an avid reader, he also enjoyed skiing and golf, but he was happiest at the Cape surrounded by his family on the beach, on his boat, or sitting around the fire-pit enjoying laughter and lively conversation with his family and friends. Bill started his professional career at American Optical, being hired by another industry luminary, David Belforte – Editor of Industrial Laser Solutions – to head the laser applications lab and find problems for this new tool to solve. I think it is of great interest that the leader of this group was Dr. Eli Snitzer, inventor of the fiber laser and that over 30 years later Bill’s laser career would come full circle at IPG where he probably left his most memorable legacy of all his memorable legacies. Bill and a partner purchased American Optical’s laser division and thus in 1972 was born Laser, Inc. The company was sold to Coherent in 1978 and then was purchased by Convergent Prima in 1995 and Bill remained with this entity through its changes until 2002 when he joined IPG as Vice President of Industrial Laser Sales. He had worldwide responsibilities and was instrumental in the company’s climb from $30 million in sales to well over $1 billion during his tenure bringing the company to the top of the industrial laser market. He also played a key role in taking the company public in 2006 when he was part of the roadshow team that flew around Europe and the U.S. to meet with investors and promote the company prior to its listing on NASDAQ. He semi-retired from IPG Photonics in 2018 staying on in a consulting capacity as Sr. Advisor to the CEO, Dr. Valentin Gapontsev, until fully retiring in February of 2020. Throughout his career, he was active in research and academic initiatives. Bill enjoyed tremendous success throughout his career. He is credited with several patents in laser-technology dating back to 1969 and as recently as 2015. He rang the bell at NASDAQ, he had the opportunity to fly in an F-16 fighter jet and to land on an aircraft carrier. Conclusion Those that knew Bill best will fondly remember how he enjoyed every day of his life and brought fun and laughter to everyone around him. He loved joke-telling, was a legendary practical joker, and a gadget collector. This is well illustrated in the following anecdote. At the 2010 ICALEO conference in Anaheim, after a Beer’s Law performance at the Opening Reception, a number of us Laser Dudes were hanging out on the Marriott pool deck, drinking, laughing, playing music, and having lots of fun. Nearby tables started to fill with (mostly female) attendees at a co-located Real Estate conference. Finding out we were all a bunch of laser geeks piqued their curiosity and they wanted to know details about what it is we do with lasers. Bill decided to have a bit of fun. So… he told them he was a world famous inventor of the Laser Male Enhancement method and that all the laser experts worldwide were there to pay homage to him and his brilliant invention, and that the conference was basically to promote this product. Well, the rest of the week people were trying to sneak into the conference meetings and peeking into doors and hanging around Vendor Night, etc. We all still tell stories about that ICALEO! All of us in the Laser Industry are going to miss seeing Bill at the next public venue – whenever that is! Bill helped start this great industry and stayed active until the end for a good reason – he loved it and he knew there was a lot more to come. It is up to those who are left to step up and take the industry to the next level. Rest in peace Bill! Postscript During ICALEO conferences you can find the more athletic and health-conscious members of our society gathering for an early morning jog with the LIA Laser Running Club. In honor of Bill Shiner, LIA will be hosting an online virtual charity run/ walk at this years ICALEO 2020 conference. More information will follow soon. The money raised will be donated in Bill’s name to the American Cancer Society. NOTES This article is a tribute to our friend and a leader in the laser industry, Bill Shiner. Bill also had many interests outside of the laser industry and he had a wonderful and loving wife, children, grandchildren, and extended family. The published obituary with more about Bill’s personal life can be found here: https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/telegram/obituary.aspx?n=william-shiner&pid=196167168&fhid=3259&fbclid=IwAR04BAC-t8xceNf_yc9NFA2LkqSz9AmHA6qQ9QXm5HAdRg_8N31noG8AJSs Industrial Laser Solutions Editor and long-time friend and colleague of Bill, David Belforte, published a very nice tribute article on Bill’s retirement only a couple of months ago: https://www.industrial-lasers.com/commentary/dabbling/article/14168777/bill-shiner-retires?fbclid=IwAR0wMQrJeiZCEcktKtFkLq4ENQs-7Dj3-RQ_TravghS-w7msYFbaKYID9cc and then expressed his condolences and reminisced here: https://www.industrial-lasers.com/commentary/dabbling/article/14175792/the-old-orderchangeth-bill-shiner?fbclid=IwAR2cjabYcEq2VVkXl48EGx0BVfU30ZwFT2DRRfE4PwyxXAH9dA38bmp2Km0 Here is just a sampling of the comments recently posted about Bill and how he was viewed by his laser industry colleagues: “Regardless of the situation, good or bad over the 30+ years I have known him, I always felt welcomed by Bill, and I know that was genuine.” “He was one of the Great guys in the laser business.” “Always a hard negotiator and then the guy you wanted to have dinner with.” “I met him very early in my career, and he was always wonderful to me. And he was really instrumental in getting the word out on the use of lasers in MANY applications, every time anyone looks at a Gillette razor blade for example.” “He was a father figure to me. He plucked me from oblivion from Ohio State, took me under his wing, and showed me how you can be competitive, passionate, and a good human. The best salesman I will ever know. What I am, what I have, I owe a great deal to him.” “I knew Bill since I started my career back in 1984 at Laser, Inc. I always looked up to him. He contributed much to the laser community.” “There is much to respect about Bill Shiner. He invited me to a user’s group meeting early in my career to promote laser safety. He asked great questions and encouraged folks to lase safely, as well as challenged and encouraged me to promote laser safety throughout my career.” “Mr. Laser for as many decades as I can remember and we do all owe him a debt of gratitude for his tireless effort to promote industrial Laser technology across every application across all industries.” “Bill was always a true gentleman. A man with ideas flowing and the best salesman I ever met. I learned so much from him over the years.” “His entire career in industrial lasers was marked by his positive attitude that an application for lasers could be found in any industrial plant. He and I walked the floors of many plants in the technology’s early days and I can’t recall Bill leaving without finding at least one potential application. Bill never saw an application he didn’t love for laser processing. His enthusiasm, winning smile, and positive attitude turned even the most reluctant potential user into a believer.” “The legacy of Bill in the laser industry will go on for years to come. He can be credited as an inventor, a visionary, a group leader, a spokesman, and a person that has brought lasers into our everyday life.”