Retail entrepreneur, philanthropist, dies at 70

Bill Robinson had a business career in three acts.

  • By Business Observer Staff
  • | 3:53 p.m. January 6, 2020
File. Bill Robinson, right, with his son Parks Robinson, in 2013.
File. Bill Robinson, right, with his son Parks Robinson, in 2013.
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Agriculture and retail entrepreneur Bill Robinson took a break during cancer treatments in the summer 2018 to visit the West Coast Surf Shop. A 50-year-old Anna Maria institution, Robinson spent a lot of time there as a kid, working and hanging out. Store Owner Jim Brady and Robinson launched the region’s first surfing competition from the shop in the 1970s, among other highlights.

 

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