Bill Fleenor Biography

Bill Fleenor's Life Experience


Bill and Kimberly Fleenor have been married since 1991, and residents of Mapleton since 1998. Their home overlooks the Siuslaw River, and has been converted to an energy efficient and fully self-contained energy producing home. The property has a myriad of mature fruit trees and decorative flora, as well as, a natural artesian spring that provides year-round fresh drinking water. During the spring, he and his wife are surrounded by a stunning display of hybrid Rhododendrons of all colors.

Bill was born and raised in a small town in Missouri, where he learned the meaning of hard work at an early age he began hoeing weeds out of bean fields and bucking bales of hay before he was 12 years of age. When he was in his early teens, his family moved to the San Francisco Bay area, where he attended both San Mateo Junior High and High Schools. After high school, Bill traveled extensively for three years, and then commenced junior college at the age of 20. Bill spent the next 13 years, fulltime, pursuing his love of science. His primary goal was to become a large animal veterinarian. Unfortunately, his goal was not to be realized, but unbeknownst to Bill, there was a bigger mission for him.

Bill completed a B.S. degree (with Honors) in Medical Technology with a minor in Chemistry. He then continued on to earn a Masters degree in Animal Physiology, and concurrently, became a licensed Medical Technologist. During his Master’s research project he invented an instrument, which he named the Colostrometer™ (www.colostrometer.com) which is currently used worldwide in the Dairy Industry. The instrument allows dairymen to quickly assess the quality of colostrum prior to feeding newborn calves. Since its introduction to the dairy industry in 1983, the Colostrometer has been credited with saving an incalculable number of calf’s lives throughout the world.

Interestingly, through the stroke of a pen, and with the help of a 'Higher Power,' Bill’s desire to become a veterinarian was fulfilled beyond his wildest dreams with the discovery of this instrument. He then went on to earn a Doctorate in Animal Physiology with minors in both Veterinary Medicine and Statistics. He has numerous publications in scientifically refereed journals, ranging from describing his invention to research in immunopathology to development of clinical assays.

Shortly after finishing his post-Doctorate program in Immunobiology, he assumed the position of President/CEO of his family’s paper converting business based in Oakland, California. He successfully grew the company from a small "mom and pop" firm, to a national manufacturing and distribution company of packaging materials for the moving and storage Industry. After about 16-years of successfully growing the company, in 1998 he sold the company to his approximately 100 employees using an Employee Stock Option Program (ESOP), and retired to the Florence area.

Bill, and his wife Kimberly, after a brief period of ‘retirement’, decided to start a small retail-clothing store for fun, which is called the Silver Lining Boutique, located in Florence. They purchased an existing business located in Old Town. They then moved the business into a beautiful geodesic dome that they also purchased, which is located on 22nd St. and Highway 101 in Florence. Currently, Kimberly spends most of her time at the Boutique, while Bill works full time for all the residents of West Lane County serving as their Lane County Commissioner.

Bill Fleenor's Life Experience