Bill Priemer has been the board chair of business Volunteers Unlimited since June 2019 after serving nearly six years as a board member. Priemer, CEO of Hyland, was asked by a colleague to join the board, and he knew immediately what a large responsibility it would be. Despite the challenge, he has been a coalition builder from the very start of his service.

He is a service master, serving on boards of all sizes, getting fledgling boards up and running. His love of community service permeates through Hyland with days of service, paid time off for service days and a huge community engagement footprint. Priemer blends his love of nonprofit excellence and community engagement with his service at BVU. He currently is leading BVU through the development of the organization’s strategic plan, which aims to grow business engagements to 500 by 2023. Additionally, he co-leads development and fundraising of BVU’s Community Impact Fund in 2021, with the goal of expanding the reach of BVU’s Skill CONNECT program. Five months in, the campaign is at 44 percent to goal. His impact on the board at BVU cannot be overstated, from good governance to endowment funds raised. After nearly three decades of connecting businesses and nonprofits in Northeast Ohio, BVU has its finger on the pulse of community engagement, volunteerism and nonprofit governance.

Its board and staff have shown incredible dedication to its mission, pulling together to keep the organization strong through the last year.