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Obituary

Executive had natural talent for business

Despite a lack of formal training, William Pou helped W.S. Badcock Corp. become a regional powerhouse.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published December 2, 2005

William Knox "Billy" Pou, 1923-2005

PLANT CITY - William Pou never set his sights on a career as a business executive. He started college aiming to become a doctor and finally ended up earning a degree in chemistry. He never had any formal business training. But when his life took him into the business world, he turned out to have a natural talent for that kind of work. In his 40-year career with W.S. Badcock Corp., he helped transform the company from a thriving family business into a regional powerhouse with more than 300 home furnishing stores across the southeastern United States.

"He and my uncle were really the drivers behind that," said Mr. Pou's son, William Pou Jr., an executive vice president with Badcock. "They set the tone for the company."

Mr. Pou passed away Nov. 27 after a long period of declining health. He was 82 years old.

Mr. Pou (pronounced "pew") was born in South Carolina. His family moved to Plant City while he was an infant, and he lived in the area the rest of his life.

He graduated from Plant City High School and attended Tulane University for one year, with an eye toward pursuing a career in medicine.

Family considerations brought him back to Florida, and he studied chemistry at Florida Southern College. Afterward, he worked for several years as a chemist with IMC Phosphate Mines.

One day in 1952, he saw a young woman he knew named Maida Badcock in a local restaurant. She was sitting there with her aunt, who was visibly pregnant.

He asked Maida for a date, but it was the pregnant aunt who, loudly but jokingly, declared that she would love to go out with him. That brought stares and laughter from other restaurant patrons, and Mr. Pou scurried away in embarrassment.

But he didn't give up on Maida Badcock. He asked her out again at his next opportunity, and they married the next year.

About that same time, he joined his wife's family business, which had about 30 stores at the time. His title was executive vice president for warehouse operations and personnel. He was known for being committed to the company's employees.

"His management style was built on people," his son said. "He would arrive at work early, before the warehouse opened, so he could talk to the people and find out what was going on with them. When he retired, he said he didn't miss the job, but he missed the employees."

He worked long hours, but he was devoted to his wife, their two children and his community. He had a passion for travel, and the family often took trips together. Before he died, he and his wife had visited every continent except Antarctica. But he had seen Antarctica from the air on one of their trips to South America.

He was well known for his civic work in Plant City and was recently named Humanitarian of the Year by the Plant City Rotary Club.

It was his natural talent for business and his strong work ethic that truly set him apart, his son said. Besides being one of the main forces behind the expansion of Badcock, he was a director of Hillsboro Bank and a trustee at South Florida Baptist Hospital.

His success in business was an inspiration to people who knew him, especially considering his lack of business training. Mr. Pou explained that he learned through experience.

"I asked him, "How did you learn all this?' " his son said. "And he said, "I made a lot of mistakes.' "

Mr. Pou is survived by his wife, his son, his daughter, Ebbie Sue Blackmer, and three grandsons.

[Last modified December 2, 2005, 09:32:48]