June Aging Well Award Winner: Bill Edwards

Building More Than Welders—Building People

Some people spend a lifetime building products. Bill Edwards has spent his building people. For more than 40 years, Bill has dedicated his career to Altec Industries, where he has become known not simply as a skilled welder, but as a teacher, mentor, and visionary. While many people count the years until retirement, Bill smiles and says he has no plans to retire at all. He still loves going to work because every week brings new opportunities to meet people and help them succeed.

Bill's journey began in 1985 as a temporary employee. Shortly after being hired full-time, he set a personal challenge: never stop growing. Every time he reached one goal, he created another. He moved from assembly into welding, then into quality assurance, constantly looking for ways he could make a greater impact—not just earn another paycheck.

That mindset eventually led to one of his biggest accomplishments. Bill recognized that Altec needed an in-house welding training program. For years, he shared the idea with company leadership, but the answer was always the same: there wasn't enough space, time, or funding. Many people would have accepted those answers and moved on.

Bill didn't. For nearly five years, he continued believing the idea would become reality. Finally, in 2013, Altec established its own weld training school and selected Bill to create and lead it.

Since then, he has trained nearly a thousand welders, helping transform beginners into skilled craftsmen. Some arrived with years of experience. Others had never even held a welding gun before. Watching those students develop confidence and launch successful careers has become the most rewarding part of Bill's own career.

One story still stands above the rest. A young employee from another department stopped Bill in the parking lot one afternoon and asked if he would teach him to weld after work. Bill agreed. That single act of mentorship eventually grew into a structured internal training program that continues to help Altec employees develop new careers today.

His influence extends far beyond Altec's walls. Bill serves on the advisory board for welding education, recruits students from vocational schools across Northwest Missouri, helps certify welders throughout the country, writes welding manuals and procedures, and serves as the audio/video technician at his church.

When he's not mentoring or volunteering, you'll likely find him running.

A longtime runner, Bill enjoys sharing that passion with his children and grandchildren. He belongs to the Measly Mile Mafia running club, where members commit to running at least one mile every day. For Bill, running isn't about competition—it's about consistency, discipline, and spending time with the people he loves.

When asked what advice he would give young people beginning their careers, Bill didn't hesitate.

"Set goals early. If you want to grow, set goals and make them happen." 

That same philosophy defines how he approaches aging. To Bill, aging well means staying active, maintaining a positive outlook, surrounding yourself with people of every generation, and refusing to let your attitude grow old.

Perhaps he said it best himself:

"I know I'm old—but I don't have time to get old up here." 

Congratulations to Bill Edwards, our June 2026 Freudenthal Aging Well Award recipient.

Thank you for reminding all of us that a meaningful life isn't measured by how long we work—but by how many lives we help build along the way.