If you’ve ever had the chance to chat with Bill Winans, our Senior Director of Global Alliances, you’d know that he’s a builder—both in his career and in his hobbies. While his day-to-day is about constructing a seamless ecosystem of partnerships, his off-hours often find him in his home machine shop, crafting everything from robots to furniture. Whether it’s assembling a network of global Systems Integrators (SIs) or welding a custom table, Bill thrives on creating something that works better together.

Since joining Rootstock two years ago, Bill’s role has evolved significantly. Initially focused on alliances in North America, he now owns the global partner go-to-market strategy for both ISVs and SIs. “At a macro level, Rootstock is highly customer focused. As such, even our partner strategy is designed to foster customer success,” Bill explains. “With that in mind, my goal has been to build a partner ecosystem that ensures a seamless experience for customers at every turn.”

Simplifying Complexity 

Partner ecosystems have traditionally been complex, involving numerous interactions, various contracting methods, and differing depths of relationships. For many solution providers, this complexity gets passed on to the customer, creating challenges in adoption and understanding.

This is where Rootstock leverages a competitive advantage. “What we’re working towards—and what I’m driving—is to absorb that complexity internally,” Bill says. “By doing so, we’re able to foster a simplified approach for customers. In this way, they don’t have to navigate the intricacies of partner relationships; instead, they experience the ease and cohesion of a unified solution.” This customer-first approach, which underpins Rootstock’s strategy, ensures customers can focus on achieving their own goals without being burdened by partner logistics.

Harmonizing the Ecosystem 

Bill works to synchronize efforts among partners to deliver more value to customers. “We aim to align our solutions in a way that ensures each partner’s offering enhances the others, eliminating redundancies and bridging critical gaps,” Bill says.

As such, Bill’s role is as strategic as it is collaborative. He ensures that Rootstock’s ecosystem of partners—from Salesforce to ISVs like Propel and Avalara—aligns to deliver cohesive messaging and value to customers. “The challenge is managing overlaps without losing sight of the gaps,” he says. For instance, where Workday excels in financials but lacks inventory management capabilities, Rootstock fills the void, providing end-to-end functionality that manufacturers need.

By leveraging SIs as trusted advisors, Bill helps manufacturers adopt integrated solutions that solve their biggest challenges. “When an SI introduces Rootstock as part of a complete solution, it builds trust and accelerates deal velocity,” Bill says. “The customer gains a white-glove experience and a deeper understanding of how all the pieces work together.”

Back to His ERP Roots 

Bill’s journey to Rootstock feels like a natural progression. With a decade of experience in alliances and 16 years of consulting at companies like Wipro and SoftwareONE, he’s been on both sides of the table. “I’ve previously worked at an SI, for a different ERP provider, and in the Salesforce ecosystem. As such, I’m fluent in the language of all these stakeholders, which helps me to better align incentives and goals across our ecosystem,” Bill says.

His technical roots run deep—he began his career in ERP, specializing in SAP business intelligence and data warehousing, and even spent time living in India to manage offshore projects. “When I finally joined Rootstock, it felt like coming home. ERP is where I started, and my current role allows me to bring everything full circle,” he reflects.

A Builder at Heart 

Outside of work, Bill is just as hands-on. His machine shop is a playground for creativity, filled with 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines. Among his proudest creations is a robot replica of Jinx from the 1986 movie Space Camp. “I love taking something that exists only as an idea and making it real,” he says. It’s another great example of how Bill bridges the gap between vision and execution.

This same passion translates into his work at Rootstock, as he views himself as a “force multiplier.” Bill explains, “In consulting, I was limited by my own time. But in alliances, I can amplify my impact through partner teams, helping even more customers succeed, and in turn, driving success for Rootstock.”

Looking Ahead 

As Rootstock’s global alliances program continues to grow, Bill’s focus remains on driving partner engagement and increasing deal velocity. “When partners are involved, deals often close faster,” he says. “Our goal is to involve partners at every stage, ensuring customers have their trusted advisors at hand to help them adopt and maximize Rootstock ERP and other new technologies.”

When attending major events like Salesforce World Tours, Dreamforce, and AME Atlanta, Bill ensures that the right partners, customers, and prospects come together for meaningful conversations. And while he thrives on the fast-paced world of conferences and strategy, he’s equally at home in his workshop, building something tangible—whether it’s a robot or stronger relationships in Rootstock’s partner ecosystem.