William J. "Bill" Bloom, national sales manager for Burnham Commercial, manufacturer and marketer of boilers and control systems for commercial and industrial applications, died Aug. 1 following complications from lymphoma. He was 63.
A former member of the American Boiler Manufacturers Association (ABMA) board of directors, a one-time officer of the ABMA Commercial Systems Group, and a member of the ABMA’s Technical Committee and various ABMA sales-statistics task forces, Bloom was remembered by W. Randall Rawson, president and chief executive officer of the ABMA.
"Bill was an ABMA champion, but far more than that, he was a quiet, unassuming industry leader who knew his stuff and knew how to apply it," Rawson said. "He was an on-and-off counselor to me, someone I knew I could count on to give me the unvarnished truth and yet someone who was patient in explaining to a newbie the intricacies of boiler technology, how it could be innovatively employed, and the vagaries of a fickle marketplace into which his products were sold.
"In a crowd," Rawson continued, "Bill was one of those guys who was naturally drawn to the diffident, an individual that could bring out the best in everyone he met and worked with and make you his friend in short order. All that notwithstanding, Bill was also a fierce competitor, a man who knew his business and his customers, yet stood on unwavering integrity in effectively melding each together for long-term success. He also knew the value of compromise as something not to be feared, but as a component of success, something to be embraced and nurtured as a tool for reconciliation and achievement. Most importantly, Bill was a gentleman and just a nice, honest guy with a sense of humor, a devoted family man, and a friend who will be profoundly missed by me and everyone who knew him, worked with him, and shared time with him. Bill was one of those few individuals in a tempestuous world who made a difference and a contribution and touched the lives of all with whom he came in contact. I am very proud to have known him."