WILLIAM G. ‘BILL’ CRUTCHFIELD JR.

A lifelong entrepreneur and self-described “electronics nerd,” Bill Crutchfield was only 13 when he built what he believes to be the first stereo system in Virginia. By age 15, he formed his first business, installing hi-fi stereo equipment in homes throughout Charlottesville.

The Vietnam War interrupted Crutchfield’s business venture; he joined the U.S. Air Force, where he commanded a Titan II intercontinental ballistic missile crew, retiring as a captain.

Nevertheless, Crutchfield retained his entrepreneurial spirit. In 1974, while restoring old Porsche 356s, he saw an untapped niche for installing car stereos and founded a mail-order car stereo business in his mother’s basement. Today, Crutchfield Corp. sells everything from televisions to drones, with about $400 million in sales and approximately 600 employees. It’s never had employee layoffs. In 2024, the General Assembly passed a joint resolution commending Crutchfield on the 50th anniversary of his company.

“Start and manage a business in the old-fashioned way by bootstrapping during its early years, being extremely frugal and avoiding unnecessary debt,” Crutchfield advises entrepreneurs.

No stranger to public service, Crutchfield currently serves on the Governor’s Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates. A University of Virginia graduate, he has lectured at several U.Va. schools and served on its board of visitors. Currently, he sits on the UVA Health System board.

Crutchfield is a member of the Consumer Electronics (now Consumer Technology) Hall of Fame, one of his numerous honors. At the invitation of Samsung, he was a torchbearer for the Beijing Olympics in 2008.