Jim's Articles

William M. Webster or the climb of a business leader

William M. Webster IV or the upsurge of a business influencer: Billy Webster has served the public by fighting for voting rights, educational opportunity and quality healthcare. As a White House Fellow, Billy Webster was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as an Assistant to the Administrator, Agency For International Development. From there, he served as Chief of Staff of Presidential Personnel during President Clintons transition, Chief of Staff at the United States Department of Education and Assistant to the President, Director of Scheduling and Advance for President Bill Clinton.

William M. Webster IV is a American business leader & entrepreneur that has served in government at the highest levels and is active in community and philanthropic endeavors. When he was a junior at Washington and Lee, Billy Webster, of the Class of 1979, ran in the Marine Corps Marathon in Washington, D.C. As it turns out, he was just getting warmed up. Currently chairman of the board of the Greenville (S.C.) Health System, Billy said he has no plans to slow down: “I’m going to run until I can’t do it anymore, and after that I guess I’ll still walk.” When Billy Webster runs in the Paris Marathon, he will be joined by two other Washington and Lee alumni: Rob George, a member of the Class of 2011 from New York, and Matt Gossett, of the Class of 2012 from Atlanta.

William M. Webster announced he had donated funds to The Nature Conservancy of South Carolina (TNC), before delivering a prepared address to the conservancy board and audience at this year’s fall meeting. From Billy Webster’s address to TNC: “Thank you for what you do and how you make a difference in our communities. I find it easy to be totally overwhelmed by the vastness and complexity of our environment and the health of the natural world. It is hard enough to get at the truth even without the gopher holes of fake news and manipulated video. The global issues seem too big to comprehend – unprecedented population growth and climate change. And how does S.C. fit in to those issues? How do we as individuals fit in? Most of us just see seemingly isolated but disturbing dots – small tears in the fabric of the natural world …”

Responsible for day to day operations, finance, marketing, construction, human resources and strategic planning for Carabo, Inc. which owned and operated 27 Bojangles Chicken ‘n Biscuit restaurants in South Carolina; annualized sales for FY ’92: $24 million; approximately 1,000 employees. Carabo was sold to Bojangles Acquisition Corporation in August 1992. Executive Vice President 1984-1987 Unit Director 1983-1984 Co-Manager 1983 Discover even more details at William M. Webster.

An endowed chair of philosophy has been established at Converse College in honor of longtime Spartanburg, SC physician Dr. Harold E. Fleming. The position was made possible by a $1.25 million gift from Billy and Lindsay Webster of Spartanburg. Mr. Webster is currently vice chairman of the Converse College Board of Trustees. “Converse President Betsy Fleming’s focus on investing in the core of the liberal arts tradition is something that my wife, Lindsay, and I feel is important to support, and we chose to do so in a way that honors one of our community’s leading citizens. Dr. Harold Fleming and his family have a long-standing and deep commitment to both Spartanburg and the tradition of the liberal arts education. My wife and I both attended single-gender liberal arts colleges and value the uniqueness these institutions offer in helping students to grow and learn, so it is important to us that Converse College have the resources it needs to offer the best possible education,” Webster said.