William C. "Bill" Emerson
Alumnus
Inducted June 10, 2017
William C. "Bill" Emerson graduated from Whitney Point High School in 1981.He continued his education at Penn State earning a bachelor's degree in business.
Bill joined Quicken Loans in 1993 as a mortgage banker. His passion for learning and growing, as well as his commitment to taking care of clients, helped him take on many roles at the company. In 2002, Bill was named CEO. During his tenure the company grew from approximately 500 team members to 16,000. He pioneered the "Mortgage-In-A-Box" concept which allowed a mortgage to be completed via telephone and mail as opposed to needing to go to a branch office or bank. That concept evolved into "Rocket Mortgage" released in 2016, allowing a client to get a mortgage completely online. The company has received many workplace awards and much recognition under Bill's leadership. After 15 years as CEO of Quicken Loans, Bill was recently named the Vice Chairman of Rock Holdings,the parent company of Quicken Loans.
Bill has prioritized corporate citizenship as a key part of his company's culture and legacy in Detroit. In 2016, Quicken Loans team members volunteered a total of 120,000 hours helping nonprofit organizations improve the community where they live, work and play. Personally, Bill is activelyinvolved with numerous professional and community organizations. He and his wife, Marlene, have served as board members and chaired local events raising untold sums to fight Alzheimer's. Bill is on the Board of Trustees for the Skillman Foundation, a private foundation dedicated to improving public schools and well-being indicators for Detroit’s children. Bill has also been recognized as a key figure in the revitalization of Detroit.
Athletics has always been a part of Bill's life. In high school he played varsity football for four years. At Penn State he played football as a walk-on student. He played on Joe Paterno's1982 National Championship team, and was a captain his senior year. He is now involved in his children's athletic endeavors.
Colleagues say Bill is an exceptional leader and motivator. He has taken the team-oriented and leadership mindsets that he learned on the football fields of WPCS and Penn State to the business world. Bill believes the educationhe received from WPCS, along with the leadership from teachers and coaches, built a foundation emphasizing that hard work, effort and a “never say die” attitude is critical to everyone’s growth and success. Bill credits his father, who was a teacher and coach,with teachinghim that actions speak louder than words – something Bill has modeled in his personal and professional life and impressed upon everyone he leads.
Bill currently lives in Bloomfield Hills, Michigan with his wife, Marlene and two children, Sean and Nicole.