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By\u00a0Amanda Childers Billy and Ann Powers make a transformational $60 million gift to the College of Business<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div> It has been said that if you walk down the street in Florence, South Carolina, and ask if anyone has been personally helped through the generous acts of Ann and Billy Powers, about half the people in town would raise their hand. Clockwise from left:<\/strong> Billy Powers\u2019 yearbook photo from Clemson; Powers at one of Powers Construction projects in progress; Billy and Ann Powers with Penny and Mark Burns, Chandler and Lydia Burns, and Jordan and Chelsea Burns; former president Jim Barker with Billy Powers after Powers received an honorary degree from Clemson.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div> The Power of a Defining Moment<\/b> Power Couple<\/b> A dual-tower, five-story structure<\/p>\n 176,000 square feet The Power of Fulfilling Your Dreams<\/b> The Power of Doing Good with the Gifts You\u2019re Given<\/b> Departments and Schools<\/strong><\/span> 2019-2020 Enrollment<\/strong><\/span> A Powerful Legacy<\/b>
\n<\/b>Photography by Craig Mahaffey \u201998<\/b> and Ashley Jones<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nBehind each of those hands is a story \u2014 a story of a failing business that suddenly finds an angel investor. A story of a family struggling with medical costs that are mysteriously and magically paid in full. A church budget that, with one phone call, meets and exceeds its shortfall. Little miracles like these have been happening in the Florence community for decades. That\u2019s a lot of generosity, over many years. For a lot of people, a lot of families. And many more would raise their hands, except that they never knew the source of that generosity.
\nAll this from a man whose family didn\u2019t have indoor plumbing until he was in the sixth grade. From a couple who lives quietly, who still works hard every day and gets the most pleasure out of life by helping others.
\nThis year, Billy and Ann Powers took that amazing spirit of generosity even further when they chose to make a transformational gift to the College of Business at Clemson. On October 16, Clemson celebrated the largest gift in the history of the University \u2014 $60 million \u2014 and the naming of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. Their gift is among the largest to an institution of higher education in South Carolina and will enhance the educational experience of the students who walk through its doors for years to come.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nThe story of Billy Powers can be wrapped up in the few things that mean the most to him \u2014 faith, family, working hard and helping others. It began with farm life. As a young boy, his days began with 3:30 a.m. wake-up calls and chores before school in Timmonsville, South Carolina. Study hard, then more chores after school. His values were first shaped in those early years on the farm.
\nBilly, his sister and their parents, Fred and Katherine Powers, embraced the lifestyle of the Southern farm family. The work was hard, and everyone contributed. The life lessons of teamwork and doing the right thing were ever-present. Billy remembers, \u201cIt was a good life. We worked hard, and we learned a lot. We had a country store and sold about everything. We had a grist mill and built buildings. During my years on the farm, I enjoyed an absolutely wonderful life.\u201d
\nBut everything changed on the night their family home was destroyed by fire. Fortunately, everyone survived, but the Powers family lost all their material possessions. That\u2019s when neighbors stepped in, providing the family with a place to live and everything they needed to rebuild their home and their lives.
\nThat tragedy was a defining moment for Billy Powers. \u201cYou always helped your neighbors,\u201d he recalls. \u201cYou\u2019d work for your neighbor for nothing, and they would do the same for you. It was a whole lot different than it is today.\u201d
\nBut people who know them well will tell you that for Billy and Ann, it\u2019s really not that different at all. During their long marriage, they have been quietly helping people in need, both lifelong friends and total strangers alike. During his early life, Billy Powers was on the receiving end. Because of the open heartedness of his community after the fire, he learned firsthand the power of giving back and how generosity can lift up a family in crisis, giving them a second chance. Offering hope.
\nAfter graduating from high school in 1953, Billy headed to Clemson College to study civil engineering. He joined the Air Force ROTC with dreams of becoming a pilot. Unfortunately, his years at Clemson were cut short. In 1956, he returned home to help on the family farm when his father became ill. About a year later, Billy began working for the South Carolina Department of Transportation. A few years after that, he struck out on his own, establishing his first business as an independent land surveyor. A small construction company followed, and that small company grew to become one of the largest commercial construction companies in the region, building condominiums, churches, schools and government buildings throughout the Southeast.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nFor the past 38 years, Billy and Ann Powers have been inseparable partners in business and in life. They share a deep love for God, family, their community, business and each other\u00a0 <\/span>\u2014\u00a0 <\/span>with a little Clemson athletics thrown in. They are known not only for their charitable deeds but also for their genuine humility, rarely seeking recognition or the spotlight. In fact, many recipients of Billy and Ann\u2019s generosity are not even aware of the identity of their benefactors. A bill is paid. A plane is made available for a sick child to receive lifesaving medical treatment. A dream fishing trip is arranged for a friend with cancer. There is power in giving, Billy and Ann have found, but even more power in giving with nothing expected in return.
\nAnn is known as the stabilizing force that brings balance to Billy\u2019s unstoppable energy. She is reserved to his gregariousness. She is patient to his persistence \u2014 the steel magnolia to his Southern gentleman. Friends say Billy values Ann\u2019s opinion more than anyone else\u2019s on things large and small. She is devoted to their partnership, both at home and at work. In every aspect of their lives, they make a powerful team.
\nBilly and Ann\u2019s business instincts and entrepreneurial talents have led them to establish highly successful companies in a variety of fields, including real estate, aviation and manufacturing. The Powers\u2019 enterprises encompass more than 50 entities, stretching to Mexico and Canada, and Billy and Ann both artfully manage the financial pulse of each of them.
\nDespite the massive scope of their portfolio, Billy still pays attention to every detail. Some say that is the key to his success. Friends have casually mentioned that Billy can tell you the exact number of nails it takes to build an apartment. One of his favorite sayings, \u201cWatch the pennies, and the dollars will take care of themselves,\u201d apparently applies to nails, paper clips and copy paper. Greatness is in the details.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>College of Business By the Numbers<\/h2>
\n90-foot-high atrium, which provides
\nnatural light for every office
\n303 total rooms
\n24 teaching spaces
\n1,660 classroom seat
\n3,200-square-foot, 200-seat Phyfer Auditorium
\nThe Erwin Center for Brand Communications
\nState-of-the-art Garrison Sales Lab
\n80-person Johnson Study Lounge
\n50-person Executive Boardroom & Terrace
\nMelvin and Dollie Younts Trading Room
\n48-seat behavioral lab with control room
\nand eye-tracking capability
\n78-step grand staircase
\n40 Clemson alumni participated in this project
\nas contractors, landscapers, consultants, architects
\nand project managers<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\nThrough his many business ventures, Billy finally was able to realize his dream to become a pilot. He says, \u201cI think I was still at the highway department when I took my first flying lesson. And of course, flying has enabled me to do so many things that I never would have been able to do, as far as business is concerned. And I love it. I mean, I just love flying.\u201d
\nFlying has not only been a passion but also a profitable business for the Powerses \u2014 and yet another way they serve others. Through their passenger charter service, Billy and Ann regularly make planes available to organ transplant patients and others in medical need. For every asset they have achieved, there is a component of giving back.
\nEven though he left before completing his collegiate career, Billy\u2019s love for Clemson has never faltered. As devoted Tiger fans, he and Ann have been loyal supporters of Clemson Athletics for many years. They are Life Members of IPTAY and members of the Greater Pee Dee Clemson Club. Billy has served on the board of directors for the Clemson University Foundation and as a consultant for Clemson\u2019s mechanical engineering and construction science and management departments. He is a member of the Trustee Oak Society and a founding member of the Leadership Circle. As a Georgia native, Ann adopted Clemson after marrying Billy. Despite her Georgia Bulldog family ties, Ann says, \u201cNow Clemson feels like home to me too. I just love it here.\u201d
\nMost importantly, in 2004, another one of Billy\u2019s delayed dreams came true. Clemson University bestowed him with an honorary doctor of humanities degree. So, 50 years late, Billy Powers finally became a \u201ctrue\u201d Clemson Tiger. And the Tiger legacy has continued into the next generation and beyond. Billy\u2019s two children, Tim \u201981 and Penny \u201984, and three of their grandchildren \u2014 Dawson Powers \u201911, Jordan Burns \u201912 and Chandler Burns \u201915 \u2014 are proud Clemson graduates.
\nSadly, tragedy struck the Powers family again in 2016, this time to their core. Their beloved grandson Chandler passed away after a sudden illness, only one year after receiving his Clemson degree. In honor of Chandler\u2019s memory, and in tribute to his love for Clemson University, Billy and Ann have named one of the towers of the business school building after Chandler.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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\nMost days, you can still find Billy and Ann in the office bright and early, keeping up with the details of their many businesses. They continue their personal mission to help others as quietly and anonymously as possible. There is even a succession plan in place that will assure the goodwill will continue after they are gone through the W.O. and Ann Powers Foundation. Their work and legacy apply the values Billy saw modeled on the farm and encompass the devout faith that he and Ann share.<\/i>
\nBilly sums up the meaning behind their mission to help others very simply: \u201cYou haven\u2019t really helped anybody until you do things for people who can\u2019t do something back in return. And that is very rewarding when you can do that (continued on page 36)<\/i>.
\n<\/i>The Lord has blessed me beyond belief and enables me to do that. People have in their mind that life is all about making money, but that alone is not good enough. If that\u2019s your goal, you\u2019re in trouble. That is a byproduct of doing the things that God would have us do, to tell you the truth. And if you do it right, you will be blessed.\u201d
\nAnn and Billy\u2019s gift demonstrates the power a family can have to make a positive difference. Today, the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business at Clemson University is poised to become one of the top business schools in the nation. The elements of greatness are in place: high student demand, visionary leadership, effective faculty, a powerful Clemson brand, solid University support and a magnificent new facility. And now the final piece \u2014 the extraordinary example of visionary benefactors and role models who have used their success to make a difference for others.
\n\u201cThe impact of this gift is far beyond a very nice building,\u201d says Wendy York, dean of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business. \u201cAn even bigger impact is that it will allow us to deliver highly relevant impactful education for our students \u2014 creating the next generation of leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>College of Business By the Numbers<\/h2>
\nSchool of Accountancy
\nJohn E. Walker Department of Economics
\nDepartment of Financial Management
\nDepartment of Graphic Communications
\nDepartment of Management
\nDepartment of Marketing
\nMBA
\nDepartment of Aerospace Studies (Air Force ROTC)
\nDepartment of Military Leadership (Army ROTC)<\/p>\n
\n5,000+ students (up 26 percent since 2014)
\n4,279 undergraduates
\n797 graduate students (563 MBA students)
\n165 full-time faculty
\n33.6 percent of undergraduates enrolled in a business class in 2019-20.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>
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\nThe Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business will become a landmark at Clemson University for generations to come. Imagine a legacy passed down to future business leaders through an inspiring philosophy of doing good with the gifts you have been given. Imagine them as they enter the business world armed with the skills to succeed and also with the will to give back to those who are in need.
\nWhen asked what students in the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business should know about Billy and Ann, their good friend Paul Seward had this to say: \u201cThey should know that if they have a very strong work ethic and strong discipline, and are willing to study and learn, and don\u2019t think the world owes them anything, then the opportunities are out there for them. Billy and Ann are both products of that. It\u2019s been done.\u201d
\n\u201cSince the original gift that created the University, there has never been a more transformational gift in the history of Clemson than this, and we are incredibly grateful to Billy and Ann for their generosity,\u201d says President Jim Clements.
\n\u00a0<\/span>\u201cTheir gift will be vital to ensuring that students who come through the doors of the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business will leave Clemson prepared to live lives of meaning and significance. And what better role models could the students of Clemson have than Billy and Ann \u2014 who have modeled servant leadership throughout their lives.\u201d
\nWhat better way to honor these humble benefactors than with the assurance that the next generation will be in the hands of well-prepared and honorable leaders? Leaders who, like Ann and Billy Powers, try to make the world a little better, one gift at a time.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>
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