PENNSAUKEN, N.J.—Adult industry pioneer and founder of distribution company Williams Trading Co. Robert Pyne Sr. has passed away at the age of 88.
On Tuesday, Williams Trading Co. posted a tribute on social media saying, “Bob started Williams Trading Co. over 55 years ago in Pennsauken, New Jersey, building the company from the ground up—beginning as a full-time entrepreneur in projector movies and film reels, and later growing the business into one of the industry's leading distributors of novelties and lubricants.
“Bob was there at the very beginning of the adult entertainment industry, standing alongside fellow pioneers in the fight for equality, free speech, and fair treatment for a business that was not yet widely accepted. The battles he fought and the ground he broke helped pave the way for the thriving industry we know today.
“In 2019, Bob was honored with induction into the StorErotica Hall of Fame in recognition of his lifetime of contributions to the adult industry—a fitting tribute to a career spent building relationships, mentoring the next generation, and championing this business through its hardest days.
“He led Williams Trading with vision and heart and lived to see the company he built carried forward by his own family—with his six children taking on leadership across every part of the business, from warehouse operations to e-commerce and purchasing. Even as he stepped back from day-to-day operations, he remained close to the company, attending family strategy meetings and offering guidance until the end.
“Bob's legacy lives on not only in the company that bears his family's name, but in the industry he helped shape and the countless people whose lives and livelihoods he touched along the way—With deepest sympathy, The Williams Trading Family.”
A short biography of Pyne Sr. published in AVN revealed, “The founder of the adult distribution company Williams Trading Co., Pyne Sr. was working as a Philadelphia firefighter when he started looking for ways to make extra money.” Pyne Sr. found a lucrative market for adult short films and the side business evolved to become a major adult product distributor, based in New Jersey.
In 2006, Pyne Sr. was presented with the Joel T. Warner "Good Guy" Award from industry nonprofit organization the Free Speech Coalition, in recognition of his industry contributions.
Pyne Sr. was also an inductee to the Executive Branch of the AVN Hall of Fame in 2014 and, the same year, was recognized with a Lifetime Achievement honor at The “O” Awards.
At the time, the senior Pyne had already stepped back from full-time work at Williams Trading. His son Robert Jr., who had assumed his father’s role in operations, told AVN editor Sherri Shaulis about his father’s beginnings in the industry, saying, “He saw the money and demand for the product. He opened his first store in 1972 and opened Williams Trading in 1974.”
Noting that the company was truly a family affair, Shaulis said in her November 2013 article, “Bill Pyne is the warehouse and project manager, Bethann Smith is a buyer, Rich Pyne is the internet and special projects manager, Tim Pyne is the warehouse receiving manager and in-law John Anderson oversees inventory control.” Pyne Jr., Smith and Bill Pyne eventually announced their retirements from Williams Trading Co. in 2023. Rich is currently CEO of the company.
A low-key family man, Pyne Sr.’s social media use was limited to sporadic posts on Facebook, with pictures from family events and gatherings with his six children, their children and extended family.
Niece Kathy Pyne Velasquez, in a post on Facebook that also tagged Pyne Sr.’s brother Donald Pyne, said, “The stories I have been told. The memories that I have experienced. The inappropriateness of a lot of things (MOST things [smiley emoji]) that came out of your mouth!
“I have amazing memories of my youth ... about the Easter parties at your home and the memories down the shore. You were one of a kind. And it saddens me that you are not here anymore," she wrote.
“Since 2013, I’ve known Robert Pyne Sr. Even though he was retired, he would come in periodically, so, I got to know him, to be around him, and to work with him on and off,” said Williams Trading Co. Senior Creative & Content Strategist Pete Oliveri. “He would give me feedback on the marketing materials, details, and product launches we’d work on, and I would listen to him. He was a great mentor.
“I didn’t get to know him as much as I wanted to, but in the short amount of time I did, I knew for sure that he was a great man and an entrepreneur with a true passion and a lot of grit. My thoughts and prayers are with the Pyne family during this difficult time,” Oliveri said.
Service arrangements, a list of survivors or cause of death for Pyne Sr. were not available as of post time.