A Servant Leader - Bill Essmann
Service, Leadership, and Vision
Being called to leadership and service can pull a person in several different directions. Or maybe more accurately, several similar directions, meeting a variety of needs. Bill Essmann is a servant leader who gives his time and vision to a range of efforts in our community. "I choose to give my volunteer time to people and organizations that support the success and growth of businesses in Blue Springs, provide for people that need help, develop individual character of our future leaders, and/or make our great city a better place to live and work," he states. "There is tremendous power in the collective abilities of like-minded and single-purposed individuals in an organized group that is motivated to do good things."
Bill has served in numerous aspects in our great community; his volunteer résumé is quite impressive. In the past two decades, his involvement (with roles ranging from volunteer, member, advisory board, board of directors, and chair) includes the Blue Springs Chamber of Commerce, Fall Fun Festival, Blue Springs Economic Development Council, Rotary Club, St. Mary's Medical Center Foundation (which raised over $1 million to remodel the surgical suites, pre- and post-op areas and waiting rooms at St. Mary's in 2012), the Paul Splittorff Golf Tournament, Renew the Blue, Blue Springs FIT, Blue Springs Roundtable, and Heart of America Council Boy Scouts of America.
Though some of those organizations and volunteer efforts may be unfamiliar to the average Blue Springs citizen, Bill has also served in ways that will benefit every one of us - he chaired two citizens' action groups for successful sales tax initiatives to support public safety and parks, which passed with nearly 70% of voter support. With the passing of these initiatives in 2011 and 2017, the citizens of Blue Springs chose to increase funding for our police department and to provide for costs of deferred maintenance and improvements of our many parks and trails. The most recent half-cent sales tax increase will generate an estimated $3 million annually to be allocated exclusively for park and trail maintenance and improvement in Blue Springs.
The Rotary Club of Blue Springs has also benefitted our local parks with hundreds of thousands of dollars in contributions. Rotarians such as Bill also participate in Shoes for Orphans Soles, the international effort to wipe out polio, the Rainbow Center, Community Services League, Hope House, and many other local charities.
Giving back to our community and providing insight and assistance to numerous organizations and projects is a time-consuming and demanding task, no doubt. But Bill addresses the needs of our community with focused leadership, tremendous Blue Springs pride, and incredible passion for service. "Every community needs people to step up and lead," Bill says. "I hope I have made an positive contribution to all of the tremendous organizations I have been blessed to serve."
To learn more about the organizations and efforts mentioned here, please visit the following:
Who do you feel has a positive impact on our community in Blue Springs? Nominate an individual or organization to be featured on Local Focus by contacting jaime@anthem-photo.com.