Bill Thurman was born in Porterdale, Georgia, a small town near Atlanta. He spent his childhood in Atlanta and Columbia, South Carolina. Bill earned a BS in Business Administration from the University of South Carolina. In his 20s, he managed a Kroger supermarket before joining the government as a Senior Economist for the US Bureau of Labor Statistics in Jacksonville, Florida. After retirement, he built a successful real estate business. In 2017, Bill and his wife moved to New Albany, Mississippi, to be closer to family. He enjoys the welcoming community, which is the birthplace of William Faulkner.