Photo by Sam Chandler.
Bill Willis opened Advanced Mower as a one-man shop in 1982. Today, he employs about 15 to 20 staff members and serves as company president.
In 1979, Bill Willis was just a kid with a dream — a dream to help people. But due to financial reasons, he feared he wouldn’t be able to fulfill it.
And then, he said, he took a step of faith.
Thirty-seven years later, the lifelong Cahaba Heights resident operates a highly successful power equipment center that services a number of area communities. As president and founder of Advanced Mower, Willis uses his faith-based business as an avenue to meet both the mechanical and spiritual needs of his customers.
“I call it a marketplace ministry,” he said. “We help them know God; we help them find freedom; we help them discover their purpose and make a difference.”
Though varying in degree of tangibility, the results are evident.
Mechanically speaking, Advanced Mower specializes in the professional sale and service of power equipment, including lawn mowers, weed whackers and blowers. The company also offers rental and leasing options to its range of residential, commercial and dirt customers.
Simply put, Advanced Mower can provide almost any service for any power equipment user.
But the reach of Willis’ business extends far beyond what meets the eye.
Understanding the need for viable power tools—especially by those who depend on such equipment for their livelihood—Willis said he and his staff take into account the personal impact triggered by inoperable machinery.
“They’re under distress when they come in the door, and we understand that,” said Dillian James, Advanced Mower’s business development leader. “It’s not just about fixing equipment, it’s about saying, ‘Hey man, are you OK? What can we do for you? Not just for your power equipment.’”
They don’t stop there.
Willis said staff members have been given the option to openly pray with customers, should they choose. “If someone’s just having a bad day or carrying some guilt or shame, we really feel like we have the ability to pray for you, so we do more than just repair equipment.”
That culture of care dates back to the company’s origins. Three years after he first concocted his dream of helping people through the power equipment industry, Willis launched Advanced Mower in 1982 at age 21.
Backed by a $10,000 loan and encouraged by empowering words from a past employer, he first opened shop in Mountain Brook’s Crestline Village as a one-man team.
Today, Willis said Advanced Mower employs about 15 to 20 staff members and operates out of a warehouse-like building in Bessemer.
Willis said his company now processes in one day what it processed in its first year.
“I had some dreams and visions, and I laid out some goals,” Willis said, “but they’ve exceeded everything I could ever think of or ever even imagine times so much more.”
Advanced Mower is located at 2212 Morgan Road in Bessemer. For more information, go to AdvancedMower.com or check out the Advanced Mower Facebook page.
