Engineer makes corps his mission

Show me the money!

The famous movie line from "Jerry Maguire" applies to more than a football player's salary. Just ask Bill Stein as he negotiates his way through the federal stimulus money coming into Charleston.

About 35 years ago, the once record-setting wide receiver traded in his football cleats for a job with the Army Corps of Engineers. Since then, Stein steadily has worked his way up through the ranks to deputy district engineer for project management in the Corps of Engineers Charleston District.

And now he's the man behind the money and is calling the shots for the district's stimulus construction projects.

The idea behind the stimulus money is the same as it was in the Great Depression: Put Americans back to work with government construction projects.

And the government wants to spend the money wisely, and quickly.

So the local district will use the majority of its $24.8 million for ongoing annual activities, including dredging Charleston Harbor and the Intracoastal Waterway. Among the projects, construction plans for a waterline from lakes Moultrie and Marion are new and shovel-ready. Most importantly, the construction will make a big change in people's lives.

The district will use $11.9 million in stimulus funds to speed up construction of the Santee Reach water transmission line, connecting the water treatment plant to the Santee water tower.

When all is said and done, in May 2010, the line will supply surrounding counties with clean drinking water and hopefully bring new industry to the areas around the lakes, said Stein.

'New missions'

'New missions'

Since coming to Charleston almost seven years ago, Stein has made it his mission to expand the district's responsibilities.

"Getting more work, new missions and more diversified projects for people to work on has been the most fun part of this job, " he said.

In one year, the district's project budget has tripled from $60 million to more than $220 million, said Stein. That happened because the Corps of Engineers transferred command for military work to the Charleston District last year. Stein and his team have been able to pursue military projects once again, something the district hasn't had control over since the 1960s.

Stein has been recognized by the Army Corps of Engineers as well as the Air Force for his leadership. His game plan for success goes back to some early lessons learned in athletics: how to watch the superior players, how to play fair and, most of all, how to win.

"In high school, I played football, basketball and baseball, and I'd always watch the best player and see what makes them the best. And so in my career, I've watched who I admire in the office and figured out what they do that makes them special," he said.

On and off the field, Stein is focused on taking care of business.

"It's a sports thing. He likes to be the best, and he likes to win," said co-worker Lauri Newkirk-Paggi.

In the office and to his close friends, Stein is known for his modest and even-keeled personality. But he's competitive when it comes to Corps of Engineers missions and recreation, especially golf. Newkirk-Paggi added that for company golf outings, Stein calls on his buddies from Atlanta for reinforcements and an above-par performance.

Game changer

In his football glory days at Bucknell University, Stein played wide receiver. After graduating in 1974, he planned to pursue a professional football career in the up-and-coming World Football League as part of the Philadelphia Bell.

But his childhood dream was interrupted after a shoulder injury. Stein's physical misfortune gave him the opportunity to join the Army Corps of Engineers, and 35 years later, he is still in the game.

These days, at 57, Stein loves exercise and is in excellent shape, said wife Cyndi. She met her husband while they were at Bucknell. She was a cheerleader there.

Most weekends, the avid golfer can be found on a course with friends or at the beach with his wife. Or out running.

He completed the Savannah marathon in 1986 and has since run about 10 half-marathons.

Former co-worker and longtime friend Lonnie Neilson said he remembers when he and Stein used to run 10K races together and adds that they usually were more focused on getting to the "free beer at the end of the line."

Outside the office, Stein is more than an athlete. He is a real family man, said his wife. "He has been able to balance a strong family life with a hard career," she said.

While his two daughters were growing up, he was the kind of dad who came home from work by 5 p.m., said Meredith Watts, 30, his younger daughter.

Like their father, Watts and sister Jennifer Gauntt, 34, grew up playing sports. As early as the fifth grade, Gauntt remembers her father as her personal basketball coach.

"I don't think I ever heard a negative word come out of his mouth. He was there for us" no matter what the outcome, said Gauntt.

Although his daughters mostly have given up hoops, Stein still is known to get out on the basketball court with his 10-year-old granddaughter, Gabbie Gauntt.

Based on their own love for athletics, the Steins introduced their girls to sports for the mental and physical benefits.

"They have that fortitude to achieve their goals, and I think playing sports growing up really helped with that," Stein said.

Today, both daughters live in Atlanta, where Stein and his wife had their home until they moved to Charleston in 2003. Watts is an attorney as well as a triathlete, and Gauntt, a physical therapist and the mother of three.

Being away from the children has been a big lifestyle change, said Cyndi. But when his girls and three grandchildren are in town, "Bebe," as they affectionately call him, loves to spend time with them in the water.

For now, Stein's hands are full with stimulus money and projects, but he looks forward to retirement, when he plans to spend more time with his daughters and grandchildren. He also wants to do some traveling with his wife, hopefully to Europe.

And, of course, work on his golf game.