William Horrocks, owner and President of Horrocks and Company, followed in his father’s footsteps and became a carpenter after attending Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical High School. He ran a successful general contracting business encompassing everything from replacement windows to new construction to commercial rehab projects. A hand injury changed his path and in 1987 he began
a long and distinguished career in public safety, working first as a local inspector for the cities of New Bedford, Fall River and Brockton. Bill moved on to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts as the Director of Manufactured Homes and then as a State Building Inspector for the southeastern part of the state, overseeing state construction projects including colleges, state offices, schools, and hospitals. During the COVID-19 pandemic, he never missed a beat, working to ensure the emergency construction of field hospitals, overflow units, and temporary testing/vaccine sites. Bill is a member of the Southeastern Massachusetts Building Officials association, having been past president. He was a member of the Plymouth Country Search and Rescue, working in urban search and rescue. After a 34-year career with the Commonwealth, during which he received many accolades and commendations, including Governor’s awards and Building Inspector of the Year, William retired in 2021. Bill’s work in the field brought him to the realization that education for contractors was hard to find in the SouthCoast area. In 1989, he began sharing his knowledge and instituted the Massachusetts Construction Supervisor’s Training Program at GNBVTHS. Demand led to him starting a second program at Bristol Community College. As continuing education requirements came into place, he instituted those programs as well as a fire science program and plans review programs. Today, he continues to offer training in the private sector.
