Bill Thomas lived in Granville, Ohio which is just east of Columbus. In 1985, he moved to Florida, beginning his career on Sanibel Island and then relocating to Naples after six months. In 1985, he received his Florida real estate license and in 1994, received his Florida Auctioneer license. Bill began his orchid growing journey in the late 1980s and has been growing ever since. Currently, he has over 200 orchids in his managed collection.