By Jeff Kurowski | On Mission
Originally published in On Mission magazine. Reprinted with permission.
Bill Koehne, owner of Packerland Websites, offers a twist on the proverb about teaching a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.
“How do I help the organization that’s helping someone else? Instead of being the one who teaches someone how to fish, I want to supply the bait to the teacher,” he said about building websites for nonprofits at reduced rates.
“We have like 70 or 80 nonprofits. I bleed a little bit when we bill them,” he said. “My account manager tells me, ‘You’re giving it away.’ One of the highlights of my business is not only how do you help your businesses, but how do you help your community through the nonprofits. If your business is based upon helping people, I believe that naturally leads to a lot of success.”
Packerland Websites donates more than $70,000 of in-kind services to nonprofits each year, he said.
Koehne credits his upbringing for his foundation of faith and passion to help others. He grew up as a member of St. Pius Parish in Little Suamico.
“I moved all the way to Abrams, like two miles away from where I grew up,” he said about his current home. “It’s nice because I get over to see Mom (Pat) and Dad (Bill) at least three days a week.”
Koehne’s paternal grandparents lived in the same household during his childhood.
“The faith sharing was from the grandparents down,” he said.
Koehne left home for high school to attend St. Lawrence Seminary in Mount Calvary, Wis., a ministry of the Capuchin Franciscan Province of St. Joseph.
He fondly recalled a powerful outreach opportunity as a student.
“One of the expectations was to visit a nursing home at least on a monthly basis,” he said. “You are visiting those who don’t have family or friends. You’re visiting the loneliest people. When you’re 15 years old, it makes a bit of an impression on you. It makes you think about how you want to live your life.”
Koehne’s high school experience didn’t lead to a religious vocation, but he learned the value of formation during those years.
He recalled the words that then Green Bay Bishop Aloysius Wycislo shared with him.
“(Bishop Wycislo) said, ‘You know you can be a witness about Christ to people without having to wear a collar.’ I waited four years. ‘Here I am God. What do you want me to do?’ It made sense years later,” said Koehne. “I was getting molded those four years of my life.”
Koehne studied business administration at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, which is where he met his wife, Joan, who is from Luxemburg.
His first business venture was with his father for 25 years at Ark Homes.
‘When the housing market went south, I transitioned to building websites (2009),” he said. “The construction business has given me perspective on the business world. When I build a website, it’s not, ‘How do I build a brochure?’ It’s, ‘Where do we take you on the Internet highway?’ because I can speak business owner to business owner.”
Koehne is active at St. Pius Parish as a lector and extraordinary minister of holy Communion. He was also the parish treasurer for 20 years. In that role, he secured funding for the construction of six classrooms in the basement of the parish hall. He also helped design and manage the construction of a bell tower.
He and Joan, who have two grown children and a grandson, are involved in music ministry at St. Pius and St. Maximilian Kolbe Parish in Sobieski.
“Joan is a fantastic keyboardist. I play the guitar and sing in the choir,” he said. “I can just fall in with the guitar and follow her lead.”
Koehne’s involvement outside the parish includes serving at Anchor of Hope TEC (Together Encountering Christ) retreats and serving as president of the board of directors for Abrams Spotlight Productions.
Sailing and mountain climbing are among his other interests. This year he traveled to Peru and conquered the Inca Trail to the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Machu Picchu.
Koehne said he’s grateful for the influences of his father; his late paternal grandfather, Henry; and his late uncle and godfather, Fred Koehne.
The late Fr. Gordon Gilsdorf, who served at St. Pius Parish, was an important faith model, he said. “He was my inspiration to go to St. Lawrence Seminary,” he said. “One of Fr. Gilsdorf’s sayings was, ‘Ask yourself, where does God want me right now? If you can say right here, you’re not doing too bad.’ That has stuck with me.”
