When it comes to raising his hand for new opportunities, Bill Carlson isn’t shy. He thinks maybe that grew out of his life before joining Haskell, when he was a local musician with a teaching studio, playing in bands and hustling to earn money doing what he loved.
“I usually don’t think about what I’m leaving behind,” Carlson said. “I think about what’s ahead of me.”
He joined Haskell’s Commercial team as an intern in 2011 after earning his electrical engineering degree at the University of North Florida. He became a full-time electrical engineer, received PLC programming training from Rockwell Automation and then advanced to the Jacksonville process group as an automation engineer. There, he became the company’s first Assistant Engineering manager and obtained his Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
In December 2019, Carlson was asked to become the Asia Pacific (APAC) Design Center Integration Manager, a role in which he took on the challenge of acting as the technical and commercial interface between Haskell’s U.S.-based operations and the Haskell Design Centers in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, and Manila, Philippines.
“I raise my hand for everything,” Carlson said. “I don’t wait for people — I wrote the proposal to work in automation. I’m not afraid to take risks.”
Now Engineering Manager in the Consumer Packaged Goods Group and working out of the Salt Lake City, Utah, office, Carlson is one of three Living the Values Award recipients for the first quarter of 2022. Nominated by Molly Keifer, Director and Assistant Controller, Carlson is recognized for being first in line to volunteer for new opportunities, push boundaries and embody Haskell’s Core Values of Team, Excellence, Service and Trust.
“I try to emulate the values I see in the people I respect — my mentors,” he said. “The values of the company fall in line with my personal values. There’s a natural alignment.”
Staying connected to APAC required hard work and late nights — especially during the pandemic. With international travel at a standstill, Carlson recalls working odd hours from home in Jacksonville to accommodate the time difference that comes with working with colleagues halfway around the globe.
For a year and a half, Carlson worked Sunday through Thursday from the late afternoon into the night, fostering new design opportunities and working to connect APAC team members with opportunities for professional growth and leadership there and in the U.S.
“Since I couldn’t be there in person, my role was to help understand the business side of what was going on — looking at expenses, salaries, mentoring the staff and helping with projects in the region,” he said.
Carlson has also been the driving force behind developing and implementing invoicing policies and procedures for design services.
“He's truly a team leader and is ready for whatever comes next,” Keifer wrote in her nomination. “He'll be the first in line to volunteer for a new opportunity to continue to push his own boundaries. I appreciate his work ethic and determination, and he's someone I know I can count on.”
Keifer’s letter went on to praise Carlson’s devotion to his family – he and his wife, Amy, have three children, William, Miles and Aubrey – and credited him for modeling that for others.
“He puts his family above everything else,” she said, “and isn't only a role model for his kids, but also his team members about having work life integration.”
For his part, Carlson said he was grateful to have been recognized by his peers for Living the Values.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “You do good work to get rewards, but you do the best you can so the people around you can achieve with you. It feels really good that my peers recognize me for this. I’m really thankful for them.”
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