The wait is finally over. Bill Roark’s book, Built with Purpose: How Our Employee-Owned Business Changed What it Means to Work and Why, officially hit the shelves at Amazon this morning. You can find the book here. The book chronicles local entrepreneur and Torch Technologies Co-Founder Bill Roark realizing his dream of building an employee-owned company whose success benefits everyone who works there—not just the founders.

“This book outlines the struggles we faced and the success we enjoyed as a young company,” said Torch Co-founder and Author Bill Roark. “It is my hope that this will not only be a walk down memory lane for those who were part of the company in the early years, but it will serve as a lasting reminder for all future Torch employees as to how employee ownership has not only been the foundation of our success, but has enabled us to build a unique corporate culture where everyone works for the common good.”

A number of local book signings have already been scheduled including the following:

• May 20, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m. at Yellowhammer Brewery
• May 23, 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Harrison Brothers Hardware
• June 4, 5:35 – 6:30 p.m. at Rocket City Trash Pandas

If your group or organization would like to schedule Bill as a speaker or for a book signing, please contact Tammie Dodson at 256-932-6079.

About the Book

The book chronicles the formation and first decade of the history of Torch Technologies. The Torch story validates that there is a better way to build a business—one where everyone is truly engaged and invested in working toward the long-term success of the company—while also keeping generosity as a core value.

About the Author

Bill Roark is the cofounder of Torch Technologies, Inc. (Torch), the founder and CEO of Starfish Holdings. Inc, the parent company of Torch, and the founder of Freedom Real Estate & Capital, LLC. Bill has also been involved as a business coach and partner in a local brewery. Yellowhammer brews are local favorites.

Starfish Board Member Danny Windham joined HudsonAlpha as Chief Operating Officer in 2019. He brings more than 20 years of leadership experience to the Institute, serving as President and COO at Adtran (2005 – 2007) as well as CEO at Digium (2007 – 2018). Windham received a BS in Electrical Engineering from Mississippi State University where he was named a Distinguished Engineering Fellow in 2001. He also holds an MBA from Florida Tech. Windham is actively involved in the entrepreneurial community and has supported the development of multiple startups. He also has a strong commitment to giving back to his community and serves on multiple boards including the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce, Biztech, and Leadership Alabama. He was also chairman of the Madison YMCA fundraising committee and a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight.
Starfish Holdings, Inc. Board Member Kris Maynard founded Essential Ingredients with Chris Gerlach in 1996. Kris serves as the Chief Executive Officer & Chairman of the Board at Essential Ingredients. His favorite thing about Essential Ingredients is to help to shape a work environment that provides a pathway for employees to utilize their giftedness. Kris was born and raised in rural Ohio and graduated from Miami University with a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology in December 1989. His chemical career started with Stepan Chemical Company in Chicago, Illinois in the spring of 1991 after spending several months in Russia doing missions work and working numerous odd jobs during 1990. Kris relocated from Chicago to Atlanta, Georgia where he was assigned a territory in the Southeastern United States as a distributor specialist.

About Starfish

Starfish Holdings, Inc.’s focus is to grow the retirement portfolios of the employee-owners of their subsidiaries. Starfish holds 100% ownership of both Torch Technologies and Freedom Real Estate. Starfish Holdings (Starfish) is an S-corp owned by an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) and Trust.