© 2001 - 2014. Bluewater, LLC

All Rights Reserved.

11803 Kingston Pike, #107

Knoxville, TN 37934

Bill Johns, Founder

Allison Boshears, Executive Director

Sarah Lutz, Events Manager

Sean Lehane, Researcher

Pirates have been around since the beginning of time.  There are good pirates, there are bad pirates, and there are pirates in between.  Pirates live by their own code, make their own rules, and known for bucking the system (i.e. bucanners).  Bureaucrats and astriocrats hate them for being innovative, leaders, fearless, candid, and willing to press the envelope of science and common thinking.  Although modern pirates are in the minority, they account for the majority of innovation, action, and decisions.  They are found in the "a-teams" of organizations such as software sales forces, test pilots, researchers, military special forces, consultants, intellectual property, communications, etc.  They are usually type A personalities, very disciplined to the core but equally as unorthodox in driving results.  These people hire and surround themselves with all stars whereas average and mediocre people prefer to hang with their peers or worse yet, the bottom of the barrel.

Bill Johns is the son of a "yankee pirate (fighter pilot)" who was career USAF officer and pilot (SAC, TAC, SAMSO).  Bill was fortunately enough to have a lot of opportunities and luck early in his adult life.  Bill worked for several innovative companies while in Memphis, TN and later pursued business studies in a very entrepreneurial MBA program of the day.  While working for the Global 1 corporation in the world and for its future CEO, Bill had great insights in delivering what he calls "pirate value" to General Motors.  Because Bill knew how to program a VCR at that time, he was assigned to hang out with the crazy software sales guys from leading companies and Silicon Valley.  Bill was hooked and joined a supply chain software company to the dismay of his professors and General Motors.  Ironically the next year, Bill keynoted his MBA program's annual breakfast and GM was one of his clients.

At i2 Technologies, Bill traveled the world and made history in supply chain though leadership, innovation, and sales while exceeding expectations and holding key positions during his tenure while indoctrinating collegues to his Bluewater Pirate philosphies.  As a the backbone to eBusiness, i2ers became legendary and Bill gained valuable experience living and working in such places as Silicon Valley, Route 128, Austin, Dallas, RTP, Albuquerque, San Diego, Miami, and NYC.  During i2's rise, Bill was leveraged in due diligence, strategic partnerships, new ventures, venture capital, and mergers and acquisitions (M&A).  Likewise, Bill received the very best sales training of th day, interviewed thousands of executives (CXOs) from most industries of the Fortune 500.

Bill "briefly" retired to East Tennessee (Knoxville aka "Knoxvegas") where he became Vice President of Business Development for the 16 counties in the Knoxville MSA region focusing on technology and entrepreneurship in recruitment, new venture, and expansion.  During his tenure, he served on the branding team in creating the Innovation Valley brand and put together the first comprehensive strategic plan that is still be used in part today.  Bill realized that on day 1 of the endeavor that there was a lot to be achieved and by day 2, he referred to the enviornment as something he read about Enron Corporation (aka a scam).   The scam is trickle down economics per tax dollars and earmarks, job security through using EDOs as retirement vehicles, and refusing to measure success (and being transparent) while avoiding hiring talent.  Most of these bureaucratic hacks till hold their positions after a decade or more and still hock and promote "push entrepreneurship".

Bill successfully orchestrated a leadership coup of all new venture economic development initiatives after the Executive Director adopted his Bluewater Pirate Philosophies.  During this time frame, Bill became known as the "godfather" of the modern entrepreneurship program in the college of business at the University of Tennessee through his initiative and invention of the MBA consulting practicum with the help of Dr. Sarah Gardial.  Since then with the ripples and waves still moving, millions of dollars of value has be delivered into the region, hundreds of jobs and companies created, and young minds enlightened. 

Coming to Knoxvegas in 1999...

ABQ vs. Tys

Jack Britt incubator....

Tennessee Nanotech Alliance...

UTK's first venture capital ... nano day

First blogger Innnovation Valley Nano Tech

Knoxville Innovation Center....

SE-ACA key note

2019 initiative.....

Wildfire America.....

Dixie Lee's Farmers Market...