INDIANAPOLIS — Bill Oesterle, the co-founder and former CEO of business directory service Angie’s List, died Wednesday. He was 57.
Oesterle died at his Indianapolis home after complications from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, his assistant, Jackie Annan, told The New York Times.
Oesterle was known for his influence in the business and political arenas of Indianapolis. In addition to his role at Angie’s List -- now called Angi -- Oesterle co-founded the Orr Fellowship and TMap, which does business as MakeMyMove, the Indianapolis Star reported.
Bill Oesterle, a founder and the longtime chief executive of the service review website Angie’s List, has died at 57. https://t.co/UTgZs2NZTH
— The New York Times (@nytimes) May 14, 2023
Oesterle was born and raised in West Lafayette, Indiana and attended Purdue University, according to the newspaper. He also attended the Harvard Business School.
“I’m not often at a loss for words, but trying to imagine a world without Bill Oesterle leaves me that way. He was a job creator, a community builder, a lifelong advocate for Indiana and a person with an enormous heart for others,” former Purdue President Mitch Daniels said in a statement. “He always said I was the person who persuaded him to return to Indiana: If that is so, it’s the single service I’m most proud of.”
Oesterle co-founded Angie’s List in 1995 in Columbus, Ohio, with Angie Hicks, the Times reported. The idea was to connect people who paid a subscription fee to trustworthy contractors and other home improvement professionals.
The business was originally called Columbus Neighbors, and Hicks went door-to-door to sign up new subscribers, according to the newspaper. She consulted an actual list that was updated whenever a company’s rating changed. The name of the service was changed to Angie’s List in 1996.
It grew from three people to thousands, the Star reported.
Bill Oesterle’s passing is a devastating loss for his family and loved ones, but also for the state he advocated for to always lean forward. pic.twitter.com/kqU1dwFw0b
— Governor Eric Holcomb (@GovHolcomb) May 10, 2023
Former employees said that Oesterle had a personal touch that was endearing.
“You were not his employee,” Kelsey Taylor, who joined Angie’s List as wellness director in 2007, told the Star. “You were more of a coworker.”
“If you met Bill, you never left Bill,” Cheryl Reed, a former communications director at Angie’s List, told the newspaper. “He had that effect on people. He was just a person who was genuine and really truly wanted the best for all of the people that he met.”
Oesterle served at Angie’s List for 16 years and took the company public in 2011, according to a news release from Purdue University. He stepped down as CEO in 2015; the company was bought by IAC, the parent company of HomeAdvisor, in a $500 million deal in October 2017.
