About

MY BUSINESS NOW. I write & publish 175-page self-study books for construction foremen, supervisors and crew members who are potential, future foremen & supervisors. Each book includes a fold-out Pocket Checklist that summarizes key points for jobsite reference. A 100-page Leader’s Guide presents detailed guidelines for 3/6/10+ hour workshops. I also create custom editions — quickly & economically.

I wrote STEPPING UP TO SUPERVISOR for construction foremen and supervisors in 1996. It’s in the 6th Edition now, © 2021. I’ve created custom editions for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and for several large contractors ($600mil – $12bil). SUTS covers 75 topics with a consistent priority: Safety|Quality|Budget|Schedule. Basic fundamentals: ideas, techniques, skills & strategies. Plus 20 special situations every supervisor deals with. Master LookAhead forms for scheduling crew size & mix – and safety activities.

NEW © 2022. During the past year, I wrote THINK LIKE A FOREMAN for the 2-3 journeymen in each crew who have the ability & desire to become a foreman. By learning how to “think like a foreman” now, they become a supportive asset to their crew. And when the timing is right, they’ll be ready to step up. Think Like a Foreman covers all the topics from Stepping Up To Supervisor, edited paragraph-by-paragraph from a crew member’s viewpoint. Review prototypes are circulating now & I’ll publish it in early 2022.

Created ASCIENDA A SUPERVISOR (© 2002), a Spanish edition of the original Stepping Up and wrote A POSITIVE ATTITUDE: YOUR #1 ASSET (© 2001) for people on a jobsite or in a contractor’s office. Each is written in the same self-study format as Stepping Up, with a Pocket Checklist & a Leader’s Guide.

1989-2002: As Wil McKnight Associates, took over AGC’s STP program from Macmillan in 1989. Edited & published thru 2002 when AGC moved STP in-house. In 13 years, WMA increased STP sales by more than 4x. We redefined & reformatted the product line, handling twelve 600-page revisions. With Tom McCrackin, we also created Heavy/Highway Construction Supervisor, a 25-hour course for H/H foremen.

1983-1989: Consulted to Jeremiah Kaplan, Pres of Macmillan. When he moved to be CEO @ Simon & Schuster in 1987, I continued that role thru 1989.

1979-1983: CEO, McKnight Publishing Company. Grew & positioned McKnight to attract acquisition offers from Macmillan, SouthWestern & International Thomson. Macmillan acquired McKnight in December 1983 — including the AGC/STP contract.

1975-1983: As McKnight Publishing Co, edited/formatted/launched/published AGC’s 12-course, 300-hour Supervisory Training Program. Published STP thru December 1983, when McKnight was acquired by Macmillan.

1968 – present: As Class Secretary for Stanford MBA ‘65, I’ve written 200+ quarterly news columns for the Stanford Biz Magazine.

1965-1979: various roles at McKnight, a nationally recognized publisher of vo-tech books. Sold McKnight printing division in 1970 to focus on publishing. Reduced publishing Cost of Goods Sold to < 20%, the key factor in Macmillan’s acquisition price. Publishing revenues were up 20x, 1965-1983. Published WORLD of CONSTRUCTION, an innovation JrHi program 1970-1983.

Summer 1964. Intern at Benton & Bowles (666 Fifth Ave, NYC) which, at the time, was among the 10 largest US ad agencies.

Summer 1962: handled all aspects of McKnight’s submission of vo-tech books in the 1962 Texas State Textbook Adoption. Spent 10 weeks in Texas, making 70 presentations in 20 cities. We submitted 11 books and 7 books were adopted under a 5-year contract. Estimated revenue (in 2021 $): $5 million+

1951-1959: Started working at age 10 as “manager” of McKnight’s line of 300 outline maps. Put up orders, tracked inventory, ordered reprints. My dad paid me a 10% commission, and by the time I left for Carnegie Tech in September 1959, I’d banked $3K — mainly because my parents allowed only one major expenditure — $80 for a Raleigh English bike which I rode 4 miles from school to my dad’s office 4-5 days a week. It was a simple life in Normal, IL, but my parents got me ready for the big jump to Pittsburgh, PA and the Industrial Management program at Carnegie Tech.