Each of us is afforded but a few opportunities, over the course of a lifetime, to walk with giants who are among us. For some, that might entail meeting a Hall of Fame athlete, going backstage at a landmark concert event, shaking the hand of an admired political leader or spending time with legendary icons from history. The Georgia business community recently said goodbye to a legend who graced the stage of entrepreneurship and supplier diversity for more than 50 years. William F. ‘Bill’ Pickard passed away on June 12, 2024 at the age of 83. He was a business owner, education advocate, philanthropist and serial entrepreneur who made a mark on every life he touched. With a warm and engaging manner that prioritized compassion and community, while simultaneously exemplifying the highest standard of business savvy, Dr. Pickard was a catalyst for change whose impact on our world is hard to quantify.
A native Georgian who was born in LaGrange, Dr. Pickard ranks among the most influential African American business leaders of our generation. Best known as the Chairman of the Global Automotive Alliance Group, he was named the 2017 recipient of the Blue Legend Award, the Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC)’s top honor at its annual Spirit of Alliance Awards. The Blue Legend recognizes a trailblazer in business, community and supplier diversity whose lifetime of achievement merits special honor. A principal in a long list of highly successful entrepreneurial ventures, Dr. Pickard was a lifelong advocate for equal opportunity and minority small business development. He credits much of his early success to a schoolteacher who offered encouragement to a young teen who had just moved with his family to a segregated Flint, Michigan in the 1950s. Her concern for his well being planted a seed in young William that would blossom into a lifelong devotion to mentorship and a heart to serve others that have shaped Dr. Pickard’s business and philanthropic legacy. After pursuing an education that culminated in a Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1971, Dr. Pickard purchased the first of his McDonald’s franchises, and an entrepreneurial powerhouse was launched.
Dr. Pickard entered another realm of the business world in the 1980s after a meeting with Henry Ford II, who urged him to shift his focus from owning car dealerships to becoming a supplier to Ford Motor Company and the rest of the automotive industry. Dr. Pickard invested in several minority firms that supplied the auto industry, eventually consolidating them into what would become the Global Automotive Alliance. Within a few years, GAA experienced sales in excess of $200 million, became the first minority supplier to serve the Big Three automakers, and was one of the largest minority owned businesses in the country. Dr. Pickard utilized his business platform to engage in his passions �� hiring and promoting minorities, helping minority small businesses grow through joint ventures and partnerships, and mentoring emerging small business owners while nurturing them to sustainability. Since its inception in 1989, GAA has realized many billions of dollars in revenues and launched companies and careers nationwide.
Dr. Pickard was also the author of a book entitled Millionaire Moves – Seven Proven Principles of Entrepreneurship that became required reading for entrepreneurs and business leaders. He lectured extensively at Historically Black Colleges and Universities, sharing the story of his journey and inspiring those who would follow after him. He was the recipient of countless awards and honors – presented by US Presidents, business and civic organizations and national publications too numerous to name – and has served on the Boards of Directors of many companies, non-profits, banks and business development agencies. Dr. Pickard was a dedicated philanthropist who has made major donations to causes nationwide, including the National Museum of African American History and Culture, his undergraduate alma mater Western Michigan University, and Atlanta’s own Morehouse College. Perhaps Dr. Pickard’s most lasting legacy is a company wide internship program that allowed him to recruit and develop the next generation of leaders in plastics manufacturing, while pursuing his passion for mentoring small business owners and helping them to thrive. The GMSDC is grateful for a long relationship with this legend of minority business development who embodied both business excellence and compassion for community. It is unusual to have the good fortune to cross paths with a true giant in the pantheon of American business. Dr. William F. ‘Bill” Pickard afforded us that opportunity, and we are grateful.
