 He also performed some work for the Smithsonian Institution including a Stradivarius which arrived in an armored truck.In a 2012 book, luthier Bob Benedetto was quoted as saying "I had an advantage in 1968 when I started, because there were only a few achtop makers including Sam Koontz, Jimmy D'Aquisto, Phil Petillo, and Bill Barker".In 2004, he was honored for his inventions by the Research and Development Council of New Jersey.