William L. Hollis

Dr. William (Bill) Hollis is a partner and veterinarian at Carthage Veterinary Service, LTD and is active in all aspects of the business. He joined CVS in 1996 and focuses exclusively on swine. When he joined the business in Carthage, CVS managed only two sow herds and was in discussions with local producers to build the first commercial “sow center” in the area. Dr. Hollis was part of the founding team to start Professional Swine Management, the production management business aligned with CVS today. Over his first 10 years at Carthage, his focus was more on breeding stock farms and a few commercial herds. During that time, CVS was able to prove to the hog producers in and out of the area that they could manage large groups of employees while also producing pigs in larger farms. By the year 2020, Carthage grew to manage over 30 sow farms, 5 boar studs, and many finishing locations throughout the Midwest.

He is a frequent speaker to industry groups and companies with an interest in building a stronger technical base on swine management. Areas of focus for Dr. Hollis include project development and implementation of producer networks; on-farm employee training; marketing for all phases of production from weaned pigs and sows to grow-finisher pigs; and development of tools for gilt scheduling and production projections. In 2019, Dr Hollis was awarded the Swine Veterinarian of the Year, by the American Association of Swine Veterinarians.

He feels very fortunate to work with families who trust Carthage with their investment to manage their hog farms over the years. Throughout his first two decades at the practice, his responsibility has been to the producer owners and pig buyers that CVS oversees. He works with families from many Midwestern states and his role is to help bring the producer groups together and assist with organization and pig flow. For Dr. Hollis, it is very rewarding to see several generations of producers now introduce their business operations to their children and grandchildren. In 2018, the Professional Swine Management business selected Dr. Hollis as the President of the company. He continues to lead that business today.

In the future, he sees CVS continue to help producers with healthy pig production. CVS currently invests more time in training and education which includes bringing producer groups together to see new building designs and ventilation systems. Another exciting area of opportunity and growth is where the producers are investing in meat packing plants, especially with new plants currently under construction.

Dr. Hollis and his wife Brigit have two children and live in the country north of Hamilton, Illinois. Dr. Hollis holds a B.S. degree in Animal Science from the University of Illinois. He obtained his DVM degree from the University of Illinois in 1996.