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This is where things will get interesting!
Come along for the ride and learn a little bit about me.
 
Who is Bill Cohron? Good question!
I don't know if anyone ever really asks this question or not, but for the sake of argument, let's assume that someone really did ask it. First off, to correctly answer the question, I guess it all really depends on exactly which Bill Cohron that you're asking about.

Is it Bill Cohron #1 (ie. Col. William (Bill) Cohron)? This was my grandfather. He was a World War II veteran who rose to the rank of Colonel when he retired. He was also the father of 5 children, a loving husband, a hard worker, and a great man. He was a man that I idolized growing up and he taught me many great things, like how to be honest and kind. He taught me how to fish and how to use tools (both hand and power) to create and fix things. This was a man who could do anything he set his mind to. I loved him (and still do) dearly. He's been gone quite a long time now but I still remember everything he taught me.

Could you be speaking about Bill Cohron #2? That would have been my uncle. Another great guy who grew up to be one of the best General Contractors and carpenters in Florida and North Carolina. A hard worker that strived for perfection in his craft, yet still made time to enjoy activities such as riding his Harley and drag racing. Both he and my aunt Jane had Chevy Novas that they would drag race and from what I remember, they were pretty competitive. Uncle Bill's friend, Zeke McPherson, would help him build the cars and they would run at Moroso in West Palm Beach, FL. Those were some really good times. But no, this is surely not the Bill Cohron you're wanting to hear about.

I'm going to go out on a limb and assume that the reason your here is because you're curious about me... Bill Cohron #3. The Bill Cohron that grew up in Miami in the '70s and '80s, listening to great music, driving awesome cars, and living through one of the best times in history.

Yeah, that's gotta be it. Bill Cohron #3... Or Little Billy as I was known by my family when I was a kid. It's true. My Christmas cards and gifts clearly stated it! So let's get down to just who I am.

I was born in the late '60s to parents who, from what I know about them, were about as incompatible as could be. Dad was a football player and mom was NOT on the cheerleading squad. Doomed from the start, my parents had split up before I was even a year old. I lived with my mom and spent time with my dad whenever possible. It wasn't often, but when I was with him he always made me feel like I was loved and appreciated. There are many great things I could say about my parents, but I think it's probably more important to get to the core of who I am. So let's press on, shall we?

As a kid growing up in the '70s and '80s in Miami, I lived in what really could have been considered one of the best places in the world and during one of the best times ever. A few hurricanes aside, South Florida was a great place to live. Beautiful weather, sunny beaches, gorgeous parks, and water everywhere to swim in. One of my favorite pastimes was going down to the "canal" (Snake Creek C-9) to go swimming, fishing, or just hanging out. We didn't have electronics back then, so we had to actually do things outside. In fact, if we had to stay inside it was considered a punishment. If the sun was shining and we weren't in school, we were outside doing SOMETHING! By nighttime, we'd be at home but still outside playing tag, box ball, Indy 500, frisbee, Trak Ball, or even just walking around the block talking... Anything to not have to go back in. Again, it was such an amazing time to grow up. I only wish I had realized then just how good it was. You hear it all the time, but it's true... Kids today just have no idea what they're missing.

As a young child, I always had a fascination with how things worked. Especially anything electronic. It was not unusual for me to go up to the dump, find an old radio or cassette player, bring it home, and then take it apart to see how it worked. On occasion I was even able to fix something and that sense of accomplishment was amazing. Because of this fascination, I would often head up to the local Radio Shack and wander around the store for hours, imagining all the fun things I could fix or build with parts from the store. Of course, I had no money and even less technical knowledge, but the fascination had taken root and was not going to be shaken off.

Now, in 1980 many interesting things were happening and personal computers were starting to become a thing. The Radio Shack I would spend hours in had 2 demo TRS-80 Model 1 units on the floor. These were the first computers I had ever seen and I immediately was attracted to them. Now I have to tell you, if it wasn't for the kindness and generosity of the guys that ran that Radio Shack, I probably never would have gotten into computers because I wouldn't have had the opportunity. These guys not only allowed me to sit for hours playing on their demo computers, they actually encouraged it. I guess it really was good marketing to be able to show customers that even a 12-year-old can run these things, and it must have worked. I remember them telling me how many computers they sold, all because of me sitting there and making it all look so easy. LOL Suckers! As a show of my appreciation, I would often spend time helping the staff labelling and putting stock on the shelves. I think it was my way of saying, "Please don't kick me out of here!" Spending day after day working on a computer and learning the programming was just something fun to do at the time. I had no idea then that it would prepare me for the next few years in Jr. High.

Miami in 1981 was rapidly growing and looking to bring computer programming into the public school system. As blind luck/fate/whatever would have it, our school was one of only a handful of schools that received funding to be able to buy equipment and begin offering computer programming classes. Now I'm not proud to say that I failed 7th grade in 1980, but in hindsight it was probably a blessing. Having to repeat 7th grade gave me an opportunity to select computer programming as an elective (band was my other elective) and it gave me an extra year to be able to learn as much as possible. Working with Apple ][ computers and starting with BASIC, I quickly learned to master everything about the computer and the operating system. The following year I was working directly in assembly language as well as Pascal, with year 3 continuing refine my skills in both low level and high level programming. I was good at it and, truth be told, I still love the Apple ][ and Apple //e. I even still have a couple of them that I take out from time to time. Yes, I'm nostalgic.

Around the same time as I was beginning my foray into the computer world, I also realized that I had a passion for anything with wheels, especially if it was motorized. When I wasn't able to sit behind a keyboard, I would ride on mopeds, scooters, dirtbikes, motorized bikes (like this K&S Bike Machine), and anything else I could get our hands on including go-karts. It was always such a thrill to be able to hit the gas and just go. Sure beats the hell out of peddling everywhere!

As it happens, when you start playing with things that have motors, you eventually have to fix them. I was about 12 when I took apart my first engine. It was on a mini-bike that had a 3 HP Briggs & Stratton engine on it. I blew a hole in the side of this engine due to high crankcase pressure from running at ridiculously high RPMs and had to piece together a new engine from old parts I found at the dump as well as a discarded engine that, oddly, I found on the way home from school one day. In no time I had the bike back up and running and was crusing the streets in my neighborhood without a care in the world.

Over the years, I graduated from small bikes to larger bikes and then to cars. Cars meant freedom. Fuel was cheap and we'd go everywhere! I loved working on them and tinkering with them, and it wasn't unusual for me to pull the intake or heads on a Saturday and be back up and running in time to cruise the Ft. Lauderdale Strip that evening. As I've said, it was a great time to grow up. Hot Rods poinding the asphalt and blasting great music were everwhere! The school parking lot really was a daily car show, only we didn't realize it then.

There is something that I haven't yet mentioned, but needs to be said as it really was one of the most important events in my life. At around the age of 9, my mother and I moved back into my grandparent's house. This was when I started 4th grade and was actually the very beginning of a string of blessings in my lifetime. Living with my grandmother had a profound impact on my life. My grandmother was always my biggest fan and supported just about everything I did, whether it was being interested in electronics, computers, dirtbikes, engines, or whatever else caught my eye. When I got into computers, she bought me books on programming. She bought me one of those Radio Shack Electronic Kits when I became interested in electronics. When my attention turned to bikes and engines, she never once complained about her back porch being covered in oil and parts. She understood my passion and never once tried to restrain or stifle it. She was always there for me, whether I was hungry or hurt, happy or sad, tired or lonely. She never spoke ill of anyone. (Well, maybe she did once or twice...) To call this woman a saint would be a gross understatement of just how amazing she was. To this day, I don't think I've ever met a more selfless, generous, and caring person. I will always miss you, grandma. <3

So, those were the days of a young child, full of wonder, and just trying to figure out exactly where he was heading while having absolutely no idea at all were he would end up. As I progressed into my teens and on into adulthood, I've worked in many positions over the years... Starting my first job as a welder/fabricator in Ft. Lauderdale at the tender age of 17, I discovered the joys of creating things by hand. It was much like repairing things, only you took raw materials and made something beautiful. The work I was doing then was as much art as it was machining, and I loved it. Ultimately, I still enjoyed working on cars and found that it actually paid better than the welding, so I left the machine shop and went to work as a mechanic for companies like All Tune & Lube and Precision Tune for many years. This kept food on the table and a roof over our head, and I'm grateful for those years. However, I never could shake my love for computers and programming. I knew somewhere out there was a job for me. I just had to find it.

1997 was when my life dramatically changed. I was working as a mechanic at Joe's Auto Repair in Orlando and was really getting tired of coming home dirty and with a sore back. 15 years of being bent over engines had eventually taken its toll on my back I really needed to find something else to do for a living. I was looking through newspaper ads for jobs when I came across one that described a position for someone with automotive performance background as well as strong computer skills, particularly in machine language. That sounded like a position tailor made for me. It turns out that the company was none other than Superchips! I went in for an interview and they sat me in front of a computer with a bunch of HEX code on the screen. After a quick explanation of what it was I was looking at and the basic format, I was asked to find other maps and functions in the sea of numbers. This actually was quite simple for me and after about 5 minutes, they had decided that I was their guy. Starting off in the Ford gas tuning, I able to quickly refine the existing tuning and create process for categorizing different calibrations which helped to improve the speed at which modified calibrations could be developed. I then progressed into doing the tuning for the Ford Power Stroke Diesels, which began my fascination with this platform. Gas tuning is fine, but there's only so much power you can make without adding mechanical modifications. The diesels, on the other hand, could pick up 100 HP with a simple tune. Something you could DEFINTELY feel right away. I still remember the looks on people's faces when they would get into their truck after having it tuned, and "Holy Crap!" was not uncommon to hear when they would go for a test drive. It was absolutely fantastic.

Unfortunately, I don't do office politics well and I eventually left Superchips in 2000 and started my own company, Diesel Power. Our focus was on custom tuning for the Ford Power Stroke and we quickly made a name for ourselves as the best custom tuner in the country for this platform. We still did some gas tuning, but the Power Stroke was (and still is) our core focus. I continued to refine our performance tuning as well as our transmission tuning, and began to build a dealer netowrk for our products. This lead to a number of great relationships across the country. This lead to another fortuitous interaction.

Through my relationship with providing custom tuning for Diesel Dynamics, I was contacted by Edge Products and asked about my experience with custom tuning for the 7.3L Power Stroke. At this time, which was around late 2003, Edge was still a small company with maybe 20-25 employees. In fact, they were in the process of constructing their new building in Ogden, UT and were still in a small rental building in South Ogden. Edge was, at that point, gaining popularity as an In-Line Module company and had a great line of products for the Cummins and Duramax applications. However, they wanted to get into Ford programming but didn't have anyone that was experienced with actually tuning the ECM itself. The tuning they had was making power, but the shifting was inconsistent and harsh. I was invited to fly out to Utah, visit with the engineering staff, and see if I could resolve some these issues as well as possibly refining the power output. I spent several hours working through the calibration and was able to provide a tune that not only shifted correctly, but also had a much better power output. I guess that the management was sufficiently impressed because I was immediately offered a position as their Ford engineer. After some minor negotiations, we reached an agreement and I moved to Utah in Feb. of 2004.

If you've never been to UT, the only things you need to know are:

1) It's COLD in the winter and it's HOT in the summer.
2) There are only 2 seasons... White and Brown.

That's it. That's all you need to know.

Now, I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the 3+ years I lived there, what with snowmobiling and dirtbiking. Working for Edge was one of the best career choices I've ever made and was a tremednous learning experience. Project management, hardware development, vehicle communications, and many other skill I learned while at Edge still serve me well to this day. I also still enjoy friendships with many of the employees I worked with at Edge. Eventually, though, the climate got the better of me and my family so we ended up making the decision to head back to a warmer, more humid climate.

I left Edge in May of 2007 on very good terms and moved down to Winder, GA, with the plan being to become a partner in a company that originally started out as a Diesel Power Dealer. Unfortunately, that deal rapidly fell apart which I guess proves the old adage, "Always get it in writing. A handshake doesn't mean shit to some people." I've always taken people at their word because that's how I treat people. I am often chastised for being a bad judge of character because I have difficulty in recognizing the signs of dishonesty in people, which is weird because I'm often quite cynical. Oh, well. Still learning I suppose. But I digress. As a result of this unexpected turn of events, I found myself in the difficult position of starting another company similar to the one I was running when I went to Edge. Only this time, I was doing it right at the beginning of a recession. "Sink or Swim" as they say.

Power Hungry Performance was founded in October of 2007, with the primary focus again on providing the best 7.3L Power Stroke custom tuning available anywhere. We also were now able to provide tuning for the 6.0L Power Stroke as well as the F-150 gas platforms, which really helped to build our business. Of course, every business has it's growing pains and our biggest issues was the lack of manpower to handle order processing, manufacturing, tuning, and techincal support. It took quite a while to get through this difficult phase, but we eventually were able to bring on some very talented people and get the company back on track. It goes without saying that without these fine people, our company would probably not be here today.

So here we are at the outset of 2024. Power Hungry Performance has been around for 16 years and in that time, I went through a divorce, I got remarried to an amazing woman, we've lost one of our children in an accident, we've lost our house in a fire, and we've purchased a beautiful ranch for our family. We've travelled to Australia, Alaska, and Ireland. Our company has continued to grow and we've designed and built several new products over the last couple years. We've also manage to buy a new building for our company. Yes, we have had our share of difficulties as a family, but we are still grateful for all the blessings we've been provided. I am blessed with an absolutely awesome wife, 8 wonderful children, good health, a beautiful home, a successful business, and a fantastic circle of friends. I was fortunate to able to see how proud my dad was of the person I grew up to be, and even though he's gone, I still try to live my life in a way that wouldn't disappoint him. My mother is still one of my biggest fans and tells me often how proud she is of me. Angela's family has become my family as well. Her parents are very kind and loving, and they find great joy and satisfaction in sharing in our success and happiness.

Even though it's not exctly correct in the timeline, I'm going to say a few things about my wife, Angela. Sort of a "save the best for last" sort of thing. Angela and I were married in 2014 and she is one of the best things to ever come into my life, along side of my children. She is my best friend and I absolutely adore her. She's smart, she's funny, she's quirky, and she's a stunning redhead! (Which also means she's a little bit crazy, too. You know how them redheads are!) She is the glue that holds me togther when I fall apart and she is the voice of reason in my head. Everything I do, I do to please her. Her smile brightens any room, and her talent is amazing. While I may be the engineering brains behind our company, she is the one who actually keeps it running. She is caring, kind, and selfless, much in the same way that my grandmother was when I was growing up. She is the first thing I want to see when I wake up and the last thing I want to see when I go to sleep. Thank you, my dearest Angela, for all that you do for our business, our family, and for me! I love you.

So this is where I will leave things for now. I will ask that you always remember to take every opportunity to tell people you love them. Take time to be kind to a stranger or an animal. Break out in song for absolutely no reason. Travel extensively, even if it's just to the next town for lunch. Find things in your life that you enjoy doing and do them often. None of us knows what the future holds. At the end of it all, the only regrets will not be the things you did, but the things you didn't do.

I hope you enjoyed this little journey through my life. As the journey continues, I will keep you updated. Until then, take care and God bless.

~ Little Billy - 01/17/2024
   
 
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The Cohron Family and William Cohron