Honoring "Uncle Bill" McCollum

At Good Karma Brands, we have six core values: Be honest, work hard, over-deliver, listen, follow through, and teamwork.? Craig Karmazin , our founder and CEO, did not start GKB with these core values.? These core values were a direct result of seeing successful teammates who possessed these values, and we wanted others to exhibit the same.? One specific teammate is the image of all our values.? That teammate is Bill McCollum , known as “Uncle Bill,” a morning and afternoon show host as well as our top salesman in Beaver Dam, WI, the market where GKB began.? Uncle Bill taught GKB how to act in public, on-air, in our everyday lives, and especially when no one was watching.???

On September 5th, Uncle Bill sadly passed away.? In reflecting on his life and his legacy of success, I realized Uncle Bill had a superpower that guided him throughout.? That superpower was that he simply and genuinely cared.? He cared about people, whether they were customers or not. He cared about his teammates, his profession, and his town.? Every live read he did for a partner, he did with such care because he wanted to make sure that each fan that heard it was engaged with what he was saying about that advertiser’s product.? To put into context how many live reads Bill did, he was on the air when Kennedy was shot (11/22/1963) and he was on the air until his last show this past August.???

When I started managing sales for our Madison team, I asked him if there were any companies he had relationships with that we could help in Madison.? I figured he might tell me about one or two companies we should talk to.? Instead, he took me to Walker’s Family in Beaver Dam, and we went through his entire list of contacts he had built over 40 years prior.? One by one. He cared about whether it was right for the business and right for GKB.? As an aside, walking into a restaurant in Beaver Dam with Uncle Bill is probably what it felt like walking into a restaurant with Elvis in 1963, the only difference was Uncle Bill knew everyone’s name.?? Uncle Bill truly cared about each of them, whether they owned the biggest business in town or were washing dishes. He knew them all and they all adored him.???

Uncle Bill cared about GKB and all our customers until the end.? In his last conversation with Craig Karmazin, he requested to see the commercial log for Thursday’s show, a show he knew he would not be around to hear.? He wanted to make sure his teammates could execute great live reads that fans would enjoy and would be successful for the advertisers.? Steve Politziner , GKB President, summed up Uncle’s Bill’s Legacy well with a note he sent to our ESPN Radio Network and Podcast team.? The amazing thing about Uncle Bill’s legacy and impact is that without him leading us and showing us the way, GKB doesn’t have an “ESPN Radio Network and Podcast” team for Steve to email.? It is a direct result of us doing our best to emulate Uncle Bill that Disney and others have been willing to have deep partnerships with us.? And he did it all from Beaver Dam, Wisconsin.???

“We have recently embraced the phrase ‘ESPN is what we do, GKB is who we are.’? Just like the Jerry West logo of the NBA, if there is 1 silhouette that represents GKB, it is Uncle Bill.? GKB is GKB because of Uncle Bill.? The GKB and culture that you have chosen to be a part of Bill had a profound impact on creating because of how he went about life.? So whether you knew him or are just learning about him, you are connected to Uncle Bill.? Your continued commitment to the simple notion of fulfilling the expectations for your role, practicing GKB’s core values, and staying humble will be the best way to continue to pay honor to his legacy.? And although I’m sad that Bill is gone, I take solace in knowing how much pride he took in the type of company GKB is and strives to be, all while never getting away from what makes us who we are.? Thank you, Uncle Bill!”??

Thank you, Uncle Bill, for who you were, how you went about life, and your willingness and care to share it all with us.?

Uncle Bill Memorial Video?