William A. Parlberg
Frankenmuth, MI

As President and Chief Operating Officer, William Parlberg oversees all day-to-day operations and is responsible for the financial performance for Zehnder's Restaurant, Zehnder's Retail Division, The Fortress Golf Course and Zehnder’s Splash Village Hotel and Waterpark. Parlberg joined the company in 1975 as a dishwasher and has held several senior management positions prior to his promotion to President in January 2001. He serves on the board of directors and is chairman of the Executive Committee, which oversees the daily operations of the corporation.

He is a 1979 graduate of Northwood University, Midland, Michigan, earning a Bachelor's degree in Business Management and an Associate's degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He was named salutatorian of his  graduating class. In 2000, he graduated from the Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management from Northwood University with a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

He is very active in community activities and has served as one of the youngest presidents of the Frankenmuth Rotary Club in 1991-1992. He has served as Rotary District Chair for New Club Extension and Group Study Exchange. He recently served as Assistant District Governor for thirty-one Rotary Clubs and 1650 Rotarians in District 6310, serving mid-Michigan and Northeast Michigan. In 2006-07, he will serve as Rotary International District Governor for District 6310. He is a Paul Harris fellow along with his wife, Lynne, in the Frankenmuth Rotary Club. He served as president of St. John's Lutheran Church in 1987 and chaired its New Building Finance Committee campaign in 1998. He currently serves on the Frankenmuth Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors and chaired its Marketing Committee in 1985. In 2001, he was appointed to the Board of Governors, which he now chairs, on the Northwood University Michigan campus and serves on the advisory board of its Hotel and Restaurant department. In May 2005, Parlberg was elected to the Board of Trustees of Northwood University.

He has received various honors including the Rotary District Governors' Award of Excellence in 1992 and the Northwood University Outstanding Alumni Award in 1991.

Mr. Parlberg resides in Frankenmuth with his wife Lynne and their three sons, Rick, Matt and Dan. He enjoys attending all sporting events, the outdoors, coaching, and fishing.

"As a Northwood Midland, Michigan BBA graduate in 1979, there was never a doubt that I would pursue my MBA with Northwood as well. I realized my lifelong personal dream of completing my Executive MBA from the Richard DeVos Graduate School of Management in 2000. My Northwood learning gave me the tools to advance from a dishwasher to President and Chief Operating Officer. I am both proud and honored to give back, serve and help ensure Northwood graduates of the future are given that same opportunity to realize their career aspirations and dreams."