# William W. Sherertz

> William W. “Bill” Sherertz Jr. was the longtime chief executive and chairman of Barrett Business Services, Inc. He became CEO in 1980 and president in March 1993, the year BBSI went public. He lived in Battle Ground, Washington, and pursued a waterfront restaurant project in nearby Washougal that his family later developed into Black Pearl on the Columbia, an event venue opened in 2018. He died on January 20, 2011.

- **Role:** Business executive
- **Organizations:** Barrett Business Services, Inc., Black Pearl on the Columbia, LLC
- **From:** Upland, United States
- **Education:** Willamette University, Oregon State University
- **Known for:** Led BBSI as CEO from 1980 until January 2011., Served as president and chairman of the publicly traded company., During his tenure, BBSI completed a June 1993 IPO and expanded its PEO and staffing operations.

## Career timeline

- **1980** — Became chief executive officer and a director of Barrett Business Services.
- **1990** — BBSI began offering PEO services to Oregon customers during his tenure.
- **1993** — Appointed president in March; BBSI completed its initial public offering in June.
- **2009** — Pursued a restaurant project at the former Parker House site in Washougal.
- **2010** — Construction began on the Black Pearl project.
- **2011** — Died January 20 while serving as BBSI chairman and CEO.
- **2018** — His family launched Black Pearl on the Columbia as an event venue in his memory.

## Achievements

- Led BBSI as CEO from 1980 until January 2011.
- Served as president and chairman of the publicly traded company.
- During his tenure, BBSI completed a June 1993 IPO and expanded its PEO and staffing operations.
- By the end of 2009, BBSI had 44 branch offices and approximately 1,600 PEO clients.

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/william-sherertz
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-10-15