William Sherertz: temp agency's rocketing growth piloted by Sherertz's steady hand.(Oregon Enterprise Forum: 1996 Oregon Entrepreneurship Awards)

Growing up in Bandon, Ore., where his mother had a beauty shop and his father divided his time between logging and cranberry farming, Bill Sherertz says he learned early how to read people.

During school vacations, he worked in the woods and in the mills, gradually developing the ability to get a sense about folks, perhaps from their smile, or the way they spoke or carried themselves.

Years later, he staked his fortunes on his judgment of character and hasn't done too badly as a result. Today, businesses in five states depend on his company's knack for finding the right people to do a job. At last count, he had about 11,000 people representing Barrett Business Services as temporary staff in clerical, light industrial and high-tech positions.

The company, which went public in 1993 and had revenue of $180 million last year, also provides on-site human resources management, staff leasing and safety programs through its nationwide branch network of 14 offices.

Fork in the road

Maybe it was a mixture of foresight and …