Page 48 - 2021cnc6-7

Industry Giant Bill Selway Passes
46
www.CNC-West.com
CNC WEST June/July 2021
Bill Selway passed away on April 14, 2021.He will be loved and missed by all that knew and met him.
In 1968, at the age of 22, Bill Selway took the helm of Selway Machine Tool Company after the untimely death of its founder, his father Roy. Throughout the early 1970s, Bill, along with his brother Pat, would drive door to door in Northern California towing a state-of-the-art ironworker and high speed to perform live demonstra- tions for potential customers. After many doors were shut on these youthful salesmen, Bill grew out his ‘trademark mustache’ that was with him until the end. Over the years, Jim, Chuck, Danny, Dell, and Joe (or Bill’s 5 younger brothers) joined as the business grew, setting the founda- tion for the family environment that still exists today at Selway Machine Tool Company.
American-made machine tool products in the late ’70s were no longer competitive with the industry demand. To better support the manufacturing community, Bill, secured distributorships with renowned builders Matsuura, Mori Seiki, and Nakamura Tome becoming one of the first deal- erships on the West Coast to represent Japanese products.
The company expanded to Washington, Oregon, and Nevada in the mid-1980s as Bill continued his quest for the newest technology to support Selway Machine Tool
Company’s growing customer base and emerging industry needs. These demands were instrumental in Bill signing an agree- ment with Gene Haas to become an exclu- sive dealer for Haas Automation.
Bill loved to have fun while doing busi- ness. The well-appointed tradeshow booths and themed open house events the compa- ny hosted became legendary but the unique business suits Bill adorned were always the talking point of each show. Always the life of the party, Bill was never short on having a story or joke to share with his audience. This, in addition to his genuine interest in helping others, built many strong relation- ships within the industry and in every facet of his life. When asked about Selway Ma- chine Tool Company, Bill stated, “This is who we are, the ‘relationship’ company. We understand our responsibility to deliver the services that can help make our cus- tomers successful.”
Selway Machine Tool Company con- tinued to expand under Bill’s leadership with his consistent search for new technologies leading to the addition of Auto- mation, Software, Additive Manufacturing, Work-Holding, and Tooling divisions. To position the company for the future without his direction, Bill, coached, mentored, and empow- ered the next generation to provide a seamless transition in the business. The company’s family atmosphere continues to thrive with second and third-generation members and retention of over 20 years for a majority of the workforce. Bill’s love of the company, employees, and customers set the standard for building strong relationships at Selway Machine
Tool.
Due to covid restrictions, there are no immediate
plans for a Celebration of Life gathering. We hope to have one in the near future and will be sure to send you the plans in case you would like to join. In lieu of sending flowers to the family or company, please make a donation to Salesian High School. A place Bill attended and loved dearly.