After more than 25 years at the helm of SPARK Product Development, Bill Riley will be retiring at the end of this year. (Although anyone who knows Bill also knows that his ability to traditionally “retire” is dubious, at best.)
Bill founded SPARK in 1997 with a simple – but, honestly, still revolutionary idea – that great engineering consulting should start with listening. He believed that the best work comes from deeply understanding a client’s goals, and then building with creativity, care, and collaboration.
He brought that mindset to every client challenge, and to the company itself. When he founded SPARK, his goal was to offer something different than the traditional consulting firms he’d encountered: “We’d been on the receiving end of a lot of consulting services,” Bill said. “And we thought, ‘We can do better.’ It really came down to listening. Not imposing a process, but adjusting to meet the client where they are.”
That approach to product development is still a core part of the company’s culture and process today.
“Bill built a company and a culture based on allowing people to take pride in their work, and to respect one another while doing it,” says Shane Diller, Owner and Engineer at SPARK. “He changed and touched a lot of lives, directly and indirectly, by creating SPARK. That’s something he should be incredibly proud of.”
Over the decades, Bill played a critical role in mentoring new engineers, shaping client relationships, and helping companies bring better products to market. His work blended precision and practicality with the kind of creative thinking that challenged assumptions and opened new possibilities. That approach earned trust from clients and respect from peers. Bill became known not just for his engineering talent, but for his ability to reframe problems and see things others might have missed.
“A lot of engineering is kind of linear thinking,” Bill says. “But you can’t get locked into one way of doing things. Things change, you learn more, and you’ve got to build on that.”
When we asked about his biggest accomplishments and most successful products, Bill demurred. “Accomplishment means reaching completion,” he said. “Engineers look at things as never complete, but aim to meet a current set of criteria that will be ever-evolving.” When it came to products he worked on, Bill listed over 30 off the top of his head (we counted), but declined to name any favorites. Bill said, “At SPARK, we do so many interesting products. How could I pick favorites? It's like Bubba says in Forrest Gump, there are just so many great ways to eat shrimp.” But, in case anyone is curious, the list is impressive and expansive, and includes EEG sensors used to monitor patients under anesthesia, locomotive train brake controllers (“...closest I ever got to being a real engineer and driving a train.”), lionfish detectors, plasma cutting torches, a container-size folding building for FEMA, and even pickleball equipment.
Bill’s impact, however, goes far beyond the products he helped design.
“I’ve learned so much from Bill about patience, calm, and perspective,” says Philip O’Connor, Managing Partner at SPARK. “Bill has this rare combination of thoughtfulness and openness. When we worked through decisions about the business, he never gave a canned answer – he’d always take the time to consider the bigger picture before responding. He embodies so many qualities that I deeply respect.”
Bill’s retirement has been in the works for some time and, although there is truly no replacement for Bill’s talent, unique perspective, and unflappable nature, the SPARK team is taking thoughtful steps to ensure the continued excellence and growth of the firm he built.
And we’re counting on being able to call on him when we need him. “There will come a time when your former company calls you and asks, what’s your rate these days? Hopefully you’ll go easy on us here at SPARK!” laughs Phil.
“I hope you don’t stay away, Bill,” Shane adds. “After some very well-earned time off, I hope you poke your nose back in and find some fun things to do with us in retirement.”
And while we’re sure Bill won’t be attending too many meetings anytime soon, we also know “retirement” might be a stretch. With ukulele-building, boat building, stage set design, tube amplifier repair, and many other community efforts already on his list, it’s clear that Bill is in high demand everywhere he has a presence.
From all of us at SPARK: Congratulations, Bill. We’re grateful for everything you’ve built and the example you’ve set. We’ll keep carrying it forward.