Good Citizen Award: Bill Nickas Leaders with Compass, Example

Greg Wilson/Anderson Observer

During February, the Observer will be highlighting some good eggs in Anderson County in the name of goodwill. I'll probably stick to alphabetical. No way I will get close to praising all who are deserving, but it is a start. These will not be detailed profiles, just highlights of good work by good folks.

The good citizen award for today goes to Bill Nickas.

Full disclosure, Bill and I have been friends for many years, but this in no way diminishes his deserving recognition for what he has done - and continues to do - for our community.

It was 21 years ago when Bill and his late, great wife Sabra (who passed away this year and is equally deserving of this award) chose downtown Anderson as the place to launch Sullivan’s Metropolitan Grill. At the time downtown was peppered with the old and new courthouses, lawyer’s offices, the old wig place and Big John’s and Murph’s were slowing dying. No one seemed to want to relocate downtown, much less start a new fine-dining restaurant.

There is no surprise ending to the story. Sullivan’s has been repeatedly listed as one of the top 100 restaurants in the nation, one of only two in South Carolina, and people drive from Charlotte and Atlanta to enjoy their food. They have been featured in Southern Living, on the front page of the Wall Street Journal, and in too many other culinary publications to list here. (Whiling also serving the best lunch in town, something many seem to overlook.)

The reason? The food is consistently incredible, the atmosphere always great, and the service is unmatched.
But none of this was what first introduced me to what kind of person Bill Nickas is. It was at a charitable event, not too long after Sullivan’s opened its doors, that offered my first clue that Bill was an extraordinary person.

Many times restaurants which offer to host (and sponsor) charitable events - and I applaud all those that do, keep the menus very simple and basic for such events. But the event I attended featured some of almost everything on Sullivan’s menu, including their incredible desserts. I was gobsmacked by the spread, and I am rarely surprised. 

Putting out the best for charity, which is certainly not cost-effective on the accounting ledger, shines a bright light on character.

I knew then I had to get to know Bill Nickas, and over the years we’ve become good friends as I discovered the depth of his compassion and generosity goes beyond charity. While continuing to wildly support local charitable groups, he has also been a mentor and sometimes even father-figure to many of his employees and a number others who just needed someone to help them find their compass in life.

He has also served on the boards of so many local organizations and committeesI am not going to start listing them. Suffice to say, he is constantly working to improve our community at large, and not just his restaurant and catering business, a better place.

Thanks, Bill Nickas, for all you do for Anderson County. I feel blessed to be your friend.