Jim Bernhard, who founded The Shaw Group and later Bernhard Capital Partners, has died at age 71, according to published reports.
Bernhard died Sunday following a brief illness, the Shreveport Times reported Wednesday.
The current and former governors of Louisiana lamented Bernhard’s passing in the article, as did the current Congressman from the New Orleans area, Rep. Troy Carter (D).
“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Jim Bernhard, a giant of Louisiana industry and a powerful force for progress in our state,” Carter said in a Nov. 16 press release. “Jim was more than a business leader. He was a visionary who built opportunity where others saw obstacles. From the Shaw Group to Bernhard Capital Partners, his work transformed lives, created thousands of jobs, and reshaped the economic landscape of Louisiana. His impact will be felt for generations.”
“It is with deep sadness that we announce the unexpected passing of Jim Bernhard – beloved husband, father, and grandfather and one of Louisiana’s most influential business leaders,” Bernhard Capital said in a press release this week.
“Jim began his career on the floor of a local fabrication shop and went on to found The Shaw Group in 1987,” Bernhard Capital said. “He grew the business from a small fabrication and construction company into an international Fortune 500 company with more than 30,000 employees and $7 billion in annual revenue.”
In 2013, Bernhard sold The Shaw Group, which was active in several industries including nuclear power, to Chicago Bridge & Iron. Soon afterward Bernard founded Bernhard Capital Partners (BCP) in 2013 with his longtime partner Jeff Jenkins.
In the past few years, Bernhard Capital has gone on to buy several small Department of Energy contractors including Boston Government Services and Strategic Management Solutions (SMSI).
Earlier this year it folded several of its nuclear and security-related companies into a group called Enveniem.