Bill French never intended to be an entrepreneur, but a fateful meeting with a pink slip proved to be a turning point. After going through a challenging relocation experience, Bill decided relocating families deserved better service. He knew they should be represented by a relocation agent who only had the buyer’s interests in mind, so he developed Wm French Buyer’s Real Estate Services – the first of its kind in the country.

Beyond creating the first real buyers-only, no seller listings real estate firm of its kind in the country, for many years Wm French Buyer’s Real Estate Services was also the nation’s largest exclusive buyer agency. The firm also has been listed in the St. Louis Business Journal’s top residential real estate agency lists for nearly as many years as the list has been in existence, topping many years at well over $100 million in sales.

Bill worked over 40 years in the real estate business. Using his extensive knowledge, he wrote informational articles for numerous publications, including: The Real Estate Intelligence Report, the Agency Law Quarterly, and National Relocation & Real Estate. He was also a featured speaker at numerous national real estate conferences, and he served on the Board of Directors for the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council. In 2001, Bill was inducted into the Real Estate Buyer’s Agent Council (REBAC) Hall of Fame and recognized for starting the first and largest buyers-only model agency in the country.

Bill was also a longtime supporter of the Independence Center and served as a member of the Board of Directors and vice-chair of “Dancing with the St. Louis Stars.” He assisted in major fundraising efforts and served as a spokesperson for the Independence Center to promote its innovative work helping individuals who suffer persistent mental illness and their families. Over the years, his efforts significantly raised the public profile of the Independence Center and connected it with corporate St. Louis, linking the organization with hundreds of thousands of dollars in charitable contributions as well as transitional employment for its constituents.