I just found out the very sad and shocking news that the President of Vonage Canada, Bill Rainey, died last month (August, 2007).
I met Bill in October or November 2004 when the agency I was with pitched and won the Vonage online business as they entered the Canadian marketplace. I worked on it for two years until November 2006. Bill Rainey, Joe Parent and Patti Jordan started that business in Canada, and anyone in Canada that has spent any time online, reading the newspaper, walking through a store or driving past the billboards on the QEW in the last few years will have seen a Vonage ad (unless you are blind), and so, in his way, (along with Joe and Patti and Brandworks - their agency), Bill might have touched the life of just about every Canadian in the country.
I went online and did a search to find out more about what had happened, since the last time I saw Bill he was alive and apparently well. We used to joke about Bill being a bit of a media darling, and loving the spotlight, so there are a million and one articles about Bill and Vonage Canada... but yesterday I couldn't find a single article, piece of news, press release, or obituary that mentioned his death. It's like, online, Bill is still alive and well and running Vonage. In a way, it's a nice thought. But, in another way, it's quite eerie.
Here's an example... if (when you read this) it's still there, here is Bill's linkedin profile:
Bill Rainey LinkedIn ProfileIf it's not there anymore, I've also pasted it in at the bottom of this blog. It's a pretty impressive resume.
To be that successful I guess you have to also tick a few people off, and there were certainly those who had criticisms of Bill. Unfortunately, one of the people I know, who only met him once, only has an impression and memory of Bill ripping new holes in the asses of an entire group of agency folks... so to speak.
Luckily (and I guess I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't feel this way), I have only respect for Bill and I never ever saw Bill in anything but a positive and enthusiastic mood.
Some of the things that I greatly respect and observed in Bill's approach were: how to lead a team; how to embrace diversity in a group; how to believe in people's ability to improve and evolve; how to better understand ourselves and the people we interact with; how to think and act strategically; how to inspire people on our team to be passionate about their work; how to help others; how to provide encouragement; how to take a positive and enthusiastic approach; how to live a well-rounded, happy existence.
I also had the chance to meet Bill's daughter once, on 'Take your Kids to Work Day' (a beautiful, confident girl that you may have seen in a few Vonage commercials); and I also chatted with Bill briefly about how successful she was and what a proud dad he was. That aura of being 'the chosen one' sort of glowed from both of their heads. Until yesterday, to me they were almost like the 'Joneses' - the privileged neighbours next door that seem to have it all... until that one day when you realize that even the Joneses die and their kids are left without a Dad and that the Joneses are actually human beings too.
I've never had a mentor, but I do try to look at what the individuals around me are successful at and try to mimic their successful traits. One of the things that I have adopted from Bill is his way of taking a chaotic mess and simplifying it down into the key issues. Anyone that has worked with me in the last year knows that I like to identify'What is Working' and 'What is Not' at my team meetings ... I love this approach and stole it directly from Bill - it was almost one of his trademarks. Every time I used it I always thought of Bill... and now I always will.
Thank-you Bill for giving me some wonderful experiences working with you on the Vonage account.
May you live on in what you have left behind; I hope that wherever you are, every day is like a hot cup of coffee. ~ Linda Burlison
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BILL RAINEY'S LINKEDIN PROFILE
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C. William (Bill) Rainey C. William (Bill) is a 2nd-degree contact
President at Vonage Canada
Toronto, Canada Area
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* Add C. William (Bill) to your network
* Profile
* Recommendations
Current
* President at Vonage Canada
Past
* SVP Commercial Services at GT Group Telecom
* AVP Data Sales & Support at Telus
* Managing Partner/Director National Sales at Royal Trust
* Sales Manager at Xerox Canada
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Education
*
McMaster University
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Queen's University
*
Queen's University
*
Canadian Securities Course
*
The University of Calgary
*
University of Alberta
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Connections
20 connections
Industry
Telecommunications
Websites
* My Company
Public Profile
http://www.linkedin.com/pub/3/320/300
Summary
Proven Catalyst, Strategist, Driving Force in Fueling Aggressive Market Share Gains & Revenue Growth Within Mature, Turnaround, Startup and High-Growth Environments.
Experience
President
Vonage Canada
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; VG; Telecommunications industry)
June 2004 – Present (3 years 4 months)
Responsible for building the Vonage brand and leading the full end to end P&L business capability in Canada. This includes creating a unique culture and working environment for employees and business partners, aggressively building out the VoIP network, leveraging advertising, media and multiple sales channels to grow the customer base, building a world class call center in the Mississauga head office to take international call volumes and deliver a new benchmark of customer satisfaction and making a significant impact on the new world of telecommunications, regulation and customer service in Canada..
SVP Commercial Services
GT Group Telecom
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Telecommunications industry)
June 1999 – April 2002 (2 years 11 months)
AVP Data Sales & Support
Telus
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Telecommunications industry)
November 1992 – May 1999 (6 years 7 months)
Managing Partner/Director National Sales
Royal Trust
(Public Company; 10,001 or more employees; Banking industry)
January 1988 – November 1992 (4 years 11 months)
Sales Manager
Xerox Canada
(Public Company; 1001-5000 employees; Business Supplies and Equipment industry)
October 1977 – December 1987 (10 years 3 months)
Education
McMaster University
C.Dir, The Directors College, 2006 – 2007
Queen's University
Executive Development Program - Queens School of Business, Executive and General Management, 1996 – 2004
Queen's University
Executive Financial Management Program - Queens School of Business, Finance, 1995 – 1995
Canadian Securities Course
1989 – 1989
The University of Calgary
Busienss Management Certificate, Marketing, 1989 – 1989
University of Alberta
B.Sc, Biology, Genetics, Chemistry, 1973 – 1976
Activities and Societies: Deke - Delta Kappa Epsilon
Additional Information
Websites:
* My Company
Interests:
Scuba diving, golf, sailing, working out, reading, team building, management edcuation, photography
Groups and Associations:
The Directors College - Chartered Director (Sept 2007)
Heart & Stroke Foundation of Ontario - Chairman of the Executive Advisory Council
Toronto Board of Trade - Member
Canadian Chamber of Commerce - Member
ITAC - Information Technology Association of Canada - Member
Kids Help Phone - Past National Board Director and Chairman of the Alberta Board
Deke - Delta Kappa Epsilon
