Bill "Uncle Bill" Sapsis; welder, rigger, company president, author and one of the founding members of the Long Reach Long Riders, has been involved in the entertainment business for over 35 years. In 1981 he started Sapsis Rigging, Inc. and developed the company into an internationally recognized leader in the design and installation of stage equipment. Bill's seminar program has also garnered worldwide recognition. Bill is a USITT Fellow and a past member of the USITT Board of Directors. He is currently a member of the ETCP Council and the co-chairman of the Rigging Working Group for ESTA. He's on the advisory board of Stage Directions magazine and the New York City Technical College. In 2008 he produced the highly acclaimed North American Theatre and Engineering Conference in New York City.
 In his civilian life he has 3 kids, one cat and a rabbit.  email Bill

Michael Sapsis has been with Sapsis Rigging since the early 80’s.  During his tenure with SRI he has been head rigger for innumerable high profile projects around the world, including the original Seventh on Sale AIDS Benefits,  Anthropordino at the Park Avenue Armory, the Crystal Ball at Mt. Sinai and special events in London, Hong Kong and Cheng Du, China.  Prior to joining SRI Michael was the road manager for Judy Collins and the LD at the Savoy/Hudson Theatre in NYC.  Michael holds an ETCP Certification in Theatrical rigging.  

Any resemblance to his twin brother Bill is purely biological.  email Michael

Billy Williams a.k.a. Young Billy joined Sapsis Rigging at the age of 18 in
the fall of 1990 and has been with the company for more than half of his life. He took his first CM Hoist class in 1993 and since then has been one of the first in the country to get both CM Hoist Certifications; level 1 and the Factory Trained Level 2. He also holds some of the highest scores on those Certification tests to date. As an ETCP Certified Theater Rigger, Billy has done plenty of full installations and custom renovations over the years. He is just as at home on the grid of a theater as he is on a truss and hoist arena event or behind a hoist inspection table.

In his free time, Billy enjoys spending time with his best friend (his wife), rock climbing, MMORPGs, and taking care of their two horses. Not bad for a rock and roll city boy gone country.email Billy

Chris Harris started working for Sapsis Rigging in 1991. Originally hired to oversee scenery construction, he is now the Lead Safety Inspector and a Rigging Installation Supervisor. Including the many domestic theaters he has done inspections, installations or renovations for he has also been involved in installations internationally, including Kingdom Schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, Teatro Nacional Sucre in Quito, Ecuador and Teatro Villa Juana in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. In 2005 he became an ETCP Certified Rigger in Theater Rigging.

He attended the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati (‘87-‘91) where he received a BFA in Theater Design and Production with an emphasis on Technical Direction. Before attending college, he was a trained dancer attending the New Jersey Ballet School and training with the Darvash Ballet Studio in New York City. He performed professionally with the New Jersey Ballet Co., Atlanta Ballet Co., Colorado Ballet Co. and Ballet de France.email Chris

Garrett Sapsis has been working at SRI part time on and off for the past five years. Brought in by his father, Bill, Garrett started off mostly cleaning and painting but has developed machining, welding, manufacturing, and field skills. Garrett is currently a student at Temple University as a Film and Media Arts Major with plans for a future career in the film industry.

In his free time Garrett enjoys swimming, movies, soccer, and playing paintball.

Ildelis Cruz has been working for Sapsis Rigging for 11 years. She first started with SRI as a receptionist and worked her way up to Sales Manager. From handling sales, quotations, customer satisfaction, research, marketing, conference liaison, answering phones, handling insurance issues, payment processing, product updates, naming the Pro-Plus fall protection line, she plays a vital part in the is company and deserves a quarterly pay raise.... (hint..hint)

In her spare time she enjoys quality time with her children ( who will some day become famous) and husband of 10 years. She enjoys the study of astronomy, star gazing and creative writing.  email Ildelis

Lisa May has been the bookkeeper for Sapsis Rigging since 1994. Born and raised in Northern Ohio, she has enjoyed living in the Philadelphia area since moving here with her husband, Dan and son, Adam. Lisa received her Bachelor’s Degree from The Ohio State University, and also worked in the mortgage business prior to coming to work for Sapsis.

When she’s not juggling the numbers, Lisa can usually be found taking her pug, Cooper on walks and spending time with her husband, Dan, a singer songwriter. email Lisa

Sarah Gowan has been with SRI since 1984, when she was hired as a scenic artist before the ink had dried on her Temple University theater degree. She's worn many hats since, including paint charge, bookkeeper and office manager. Most recently she serves as the company webmaster/designer, graphic artist, materials editor and, because she has read more computer manuals than anyone else, default IT manager.