BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Jim Bernhard, the renowned Baton Rouge business leader and entrepreneur, died Sunday at the age of 71. Leaders in the community are remembering him as a titan in business.
“Jim is known internationally for the things he’s done and for the things he was continuing and striving to do,” said Lenny Lemoine, CEO of Lemoine, a company that works with Bernhard Capital Partners.
Bernhard founded the Shaw Group in 1987, which became a Fortune 500 company that drew international attention for its importance in the industrial sector. He later formed Bernhard Capital Partners (BCP), a private equity firm, in 2014 following the sale of Shaw Group.
Community impact
Chris Meyer, president of the Baton Rouge Area Foundation, said Bernhard’s impact will live on for decades to come.
“I think his life and legacy will be just that. That he re-invested in Baton Rouge for future generations,” Meyer said.
Meyer pointed to the Shaw Center as an example of Bernhard’s investment in the community. The building opened in 2005 and has been center stage for some of the city’s most influential performers.
“He and the Shaw Group made a transformational gift to allow that building to become a reality. And it’s now a treasured part of downtown, a treasured part of the community, and literally one of the more transformational and appealing buildings that is here,” Meyer said.
Business legacy
Bernhard planted his flag in Louisiana, generating billions in revenue on a yearly basis with the Shaw Group. Paige Carter, chief business development officer for Louisiana Economic Development, said his attitude needs to be carried on.
“His commitment to say we can be excellent if we want it for ourselves,” Carter said. “You can start, you can scale, and you can stay in Louisiana.”
Lemoine, who was a college friend of Bernhard, maintained a friendship with him long after graduating and had a front row seat to his success.
“He was an advisor and a mentor to me and was always very suggestive about what Lemoine could be,” Lemoine said. “You know, I was thinking about that this morning, when friends go into a formal business arrangement together normally the friendship suffers but in the case of Jim because of his mindset and his supportive nature with me, our friendship grew and grew and grew until his last days.”
Carter said Bernhard’s motivation continues to inspire others “to create and start their own business, to stay in Louisiana and to continue to scale in Louisiana.”
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