William “Bill” A. Rhodes III
As founder of Colossus Inc., a private, Asheville based company, Bill spent over 30 years as a respected business owner and was known for his dedication to his clients and community before he retired. Bill enjoyed remarkable entrepreneurial success with several business ventures. Beginning in 1978 with the creation of InterACT Computer Systems which started out by helping companies, hospitals, and governments computerize their billing systems. Providing these types of computer services to governments lead to the creation of InterACT Public Safety Systems where in 1985 Bill installed his first 911 Emergency System in McDowell County, NC. InterACT was the first company to offer integrated intelligent workstations or IIWS, a high-tech, three panel display that provided dispatch operators geographical location information in addition to the number of the 911 caller. Bill’s company was one of the first companies to design and implement Enhanced 911 systems across the United States and abroad providing automatic computerized readout of the caller’s name, phone number, address for law enforcement, medical, and fire services with computer aided dispatch which simultaneously alerted appropriate emergency agencies including the digital mapping system to display the exact location of caller. This led Bill to create a mapping and addressing division which did just that for the larger part of the southeast during the time of transition for several states updating their 911 emergency systems to have GPS coordinates for each address within their jurisdiction. Bill specialized in corporate and government services. He was recognized for many years by a variety of peer organizations and publications as a leading entrepreneur and business owner. He was also active in the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.
Bill took on several civic roles in Asheville, Chairman of the March of Dimes of WNC, supporting and hosting SantaPal through the years at his downtown Asheville office location, and coaching many years youth baseball and basketball. He was a member of the Country Club of Asheville and the CCA Bandits, the Downtown City Club of Asheville, the Cliffs at Walnut Cove, the Reserve Golf Club in Pawleys Island, SC, True Blue Golf Club, and the St. Petersburg Country Club. He was also a longtime member and supporter of several national, state and local organizations. He was an avid golfer and car racing enthusiast. In addition to traveling to play golf courses across the US, Bill also enjoyed traveling to Germany with BMW to drive the Nuremberg Racetrack and tour the BMW Factory.
Bill was a graduate of Western Carolina University earning a B.A. in Business Administration. He graduated from Valley Springs High School, where he was on the basketball team, square dance team, and Boy Scouts of America.
Bill cherished time with his family spending much of it at Lake Fontana where he enjoyed boating and fishing at his lake house. He also enjoyed teaching his children, their friends and grandchildren to water ski, fish, drive, play golf, and listen to his favorite music.
Bill grew up as a member of the Long Shoals Baptist Church and was a member of Arden Presbyterian Church. He was predeceased by his two sisters, Sandra Lee Rhodes Stephens and her husband, James Albert Stephens; Evelyn Ann Rhodes Arthur and her husband Cecil Arthur; and sister-in-law, Juanita Ann Davis. Bill will be remembered for his fun personality, lively spirit, generosity, and loving, loyal dedication to his family. A private family remembrance will be held to honor Bill’s life in June.