BATON ROUGE, LA Bernhard, an integrated provider of energy services, commercial engineering, and mechanical, electrical, and plumbing contractors, announces that it has hired Steve Nathanson as its Chief Executive Officer. Nathanson is the first appointment to Bernhard's corporate executive management team, which will expand throughout the coming months.

"Steve has unparalleled operational expertise in the energy services and construction industry and I look forward to working with him in his new role at Bernhard," said Jim Bernhard, Chairman of Bernhard and [Founding] Partner at Bernhard Capital Partners. "His deep knowledge and relationships in the industry, as well as his proven leadership experience, will be invaluable as we continue to build out our team at Bernhard and position the company as the premier turnkey energy service provider."

Bernhard collectively includes Bernhard Energy Solutions, Bernhard MCC Mechanical, Bernhard E.P. Breaux Electrical and Bernhard TME Engineering. Together these divisions provide energy-engineering, facility operations, mechanical and electrical construction, engineering and maintenance services for commercial and institutional customers. Bernhard has more than 1,800 employees, operates 20 offices and has more than 300,000 square feet of fabrication capacity across the country.

Nathanson has 40 years of experience in the energy services industry. Before joining Bernhard, Nathanson served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of Genesis Energy LP. Prior to that, he was the President of TDC LLC, the refinery services subsidiary of Genesis Energy. Nathanson also held roles at Occidental Petroleum and its subsidiary OxyChem.

"I am thrilled to partner with Jim and the talented teams at Bernhard and look forward to the exciting work ahead," said Nathanson. "Bernhard, MCC, EP Breaux & TME are well-respected names in the industry, and as a cohesive, integrated firm with a proven reputation for our unique expertise and client relationships, I am confident that we will become one of the leading, full-service commercial energy companies in the United States."

Bernhard is owned by a group of investors including Bernhard Capital Partners, an operationally focused private equity firm dedicated to investing across the energy services spectrum.