In 2022, Billy co-founded Black Dog Capital Partners with his father, Bill Pettit. The father-son duo formed Black Dog with two primary objectives in mind: (i) to help owners and operators maximize the value of their existing senior housing assets through individually tailored consulting engagements; and, (ii) to raise capital, develop, and ultimately manage, assets in the emerging active adult asset class.

In his previous role as President of Pillar Properties, Billy was responsible for the strategic planning and growth of the company and led the operations and development teams. Billy’s vision and leadership, combined with a deep passion for company culture and an unrivaled customer experience, transformed Pillar into an award-winning company. The company’s explosive growth led to seven consecutive appearances on The Puget Sound Business Journal’s annual list of the Top 100 Fastest Growing Private Companies, as well as five consecutive appearances on the INC 5000 List of America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies.  Based on team member satisfaction, Pillar was recognized as one of Washington’s Best Workplaces by The Puget Sound Business Journal five times and by Seattle Business Magazine twice. Pillar has also received national recognition with eight consecutive top five rankings, twice finishing number one overall, on the annual resident satisfaction survey conducted by SatisFacts. Pillar Passions, the company’s philanthropic initiative, received the Multifamily Executive Community Service Award for 2016.

Under his leadership, Pillar Properties amassed a portfolio of 2,000+ apartment units throughout the Puget Sound region and built a pipeline of roughly 1,500 additional units at the time of his departure. Pillar was also the developer for sister-company Merrill Gardens and delivered over 3,000 units to the senior housing portfolio. To-date, Pettit has been involved in over 30 development projects with a combined total cost in excess of $1.6 billion.

Pettit was named to the Puget Sound Business Journal 40-Under-40 Class of 2017 and the Urban Land Institute 40-Under-40 Class of 2016. He also received the Multifamily Executive Rising Star of the Year Award in 2013. He is former member of the Board of Directors for the Washington Multi-Family Housing Association (WMFHA), as well as the National Investment Center for Seniors Housing Future Leaders Council and the Urban Land Institute’s Center for Sustainable Leadership program. Pettit holds a B.A. in Economics from Hamilton College, where he played varsity ice hockey and golf, and an MBA in Finance from the Foster School of Business at the University of Washington.