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ON THE MOVE BERNHARD, LLC EXPANDS

EXECUTIVE

SEC Reporting and Accounting for AT&T/ DIRECTV. Cohen received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Louisiana State University and has earned her CPA designation. “Throughout my career, I have focused on driving efficiency and financial performance to create and enhance value, and I look forward to stepping into this role and actively contributing to Bernhard’s bright future,” said Cohen. “It is a pleasure to continue working with our talented management team to deliver strong financial results and further enable Bernhard’s success.” Samuel brings 22 years of experience in human resources and employment law to Bernhard, where she will be responsible for recruiting, hiring, and retaining top quality staff across all Bernhard companies. She will also work with other members of the Bernhard management team to ensure Bernhard’s continued compliance with labor and employment laws applicable to the business. Most recently, Samuel served as attorney shareholder at The Kullman Firm in Baton Rouge where she represented various employers in all aspects of labor and employment law. Prior to that, she served as senior vice president of administration for H&E Equipment Services, Inc., where she oversaw the legal, HR, and safety functions for the company. Samuel received her Juris Doctor from Santa

Clara University School of Law and a master’s degree in labor and employment law from Georgetown University Law Center. “I am thrilled to join the exceptional team at Bernhard,” said Samuel. “The HR function plays a critical role in positively impacting our employees and their families and I look forward to serving in my role to enrich the lives of Bernhard’s employees and better our community, which will ultimately contribute to strengthening our business.” Cohen and Samuel join a seasoned management team comprised of Ed Tinsley, chief executive officer; Philip Breaux, chief executive officer, Electrical Division; Rusty Mullen, chief executive officer, Engineering Division; Philip Catanzaro, president, Mechanical Division and Michael Durham, general counsel. For nearly 100 years, Bernhard has been dedicated to developing innovative solutions, executing on-time and under-budget project delivery and offering exceptional professional service to our customers across the country. Bernhard’s more than 2,000 employees operate in 25 locations, to provide tailored solutions accomplishing the goals of the firm’s customers in the most effective and efficient way possible. With safety and corporate responsibility as the cornerstones of everything the firm does, Bernhard is committed to making a positive impact in the communities it serves.

MANAGEMENT TEAM Bernhard, LLC , an integrated provider of energy, engineering, electrical, and mechanical services, has announced the promotion of Amy Cohen to chief financial officer and the appointment of Melissa Samuel as vice president of human resources and associate general counsel. “We are excited to promote Amy to this new role and welcome Melissa to Bernhard,” said Ed Tinsley, chief executive officer of Bernhard Energy Solutions. “Both women have significant experience and expertise in their respective fields and I am pleased to add leaders of their caliber to our team. I look forward to working closely with both Amy and Melissa to ensure Bernhard continues its mission to develop innovative solutions for our customers.” With more than two decades of experience in senior finance roles, Cohen brings deep finance, accounting and leadership expertise to her new position as chief financial officer. Most recently, Cohen served as vice president of Finance, where she was responsible for the financial planning function, including the preparation of a $655 million annual budget and the preparation of GAAP compliant financial statements, among other responsibilities. Prior to joining Bernhard, Cohen served as Regional Finance Director for iHeart Media and as a Senior Director of

MITCH FORTNER, from page 11

the ones coming up behind them, and I think something special happens every time one of those stories is told. We reconnect with our past and it becomes more a part of what our firm is about today. “There are so many remarkable stories that make our firm what it is. The long-tenured employees in our office love to pass those stories down to the ones coming up behind them, and I think something special happens every time one of those stories is told.” I recently read a terrific book, Seven Stories Every Salesman Must Tell by Mike Adams. He recommends creating inter- company video libraries of diverse types of stories that can be used in the sales or business development process. Not a bad idea. But we should also consider the same type of video library to pass down the stories that have formed our firms’ unique cultures. MITCH FORTNER is president of KSA. He can be reached via LinkedIn, on Twitter @MitchFortner, or by email at mfortner@ksaeng.com.

the firm’s history by telling stories about the firm “back in the day.” Each decade brings new layers to add to the foundation created 40 years ago while honoring the legacy shaped by the early years. For example, there’s the story of our first CEO taking a personal interest in a sewer interceptor for his alma mater, Texas A&M University, and walking through brush for miles to stake an alignment for the project. There are those about countless business development victories by our founding EVP. And then there’s the humorous anecdotes, like the one about our second EVP sitting on the light table in our drafting room during an all-hands meeting led by our CEO – and falling through the glass. Or the one about the project team working until the early morning hours and tying up the entire drafting room for weeks on end to take care of a client’s need to have bids by a certain date for funding; that of our very first CAD drawing on a standpipe project for one of our clients; or the one about using Kentucky Pipe Network on a mainframe in Seattle, and connecting from our office via a 300-baud acoustical modem. I could go on and on because there are so many remarkable stories that make our firm what it is. The long-tenured employees in our office love to pass those stories down to

THE ZWEIG LETTER December 3, 2018, ISSUE 1274

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