Published on August 13, 2025  
bill stevens

Bill Stevens ’70, Birmingham businessman and former chairman of the 91¹û¶³ Board of Trustees, has been selected for the Alabama Business Hall of Fame.

Stevens joins a six-member 2025 class that is scheduled for induction Nov. 13.

Stevens enrolled as a freshman at Samford in the late 1960s and played on the men’s basketball team. He and his wife, Kimeran Stevens ’70, have been generous supporters of the university, serving as co-chairs of the Forever Samford Campaign—the most successful comprehensive capital campaign in university history—and taking pivotal leadership roles instrumental to numerous initiatives.

“91¹û¶³ has been in our lives since 1966 when we began as students,” shared Bill Stevens. “Our relationship has allowed us to be involved with the university through the years and we have been blessed to be able to serve and support Samford.”

The Alabama Business Hall of Fame honors men and women whose business contributions have left a lasting impact on the state. Stevens was recognized for his work as CEO of Motion Industries, where he saw sales grow from $1.85 billion to $4.8 billion during his tenure.

Stevens was recently elected a Life Trustee at Samford, recognizing his completion of 20 years of service on the board. He has contributed expertise through the advisory board for the Brock School of Business, the selection committee for the Samford Athletics Hall of Fame, and the university’s most recent presidential search committee. The William J. Stevens Board Room in Samford Hall and the Bill and Kimeran Stevens Plaza between the new Greek residence halls are named in his honor.

In addition to their work with Samford, Bill and Kimeran Stevens are active supporters of various community causes, including service on the Board of the Salvation Army and as members of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church.

 
Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,101 students from 45 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.