Bernhard Names Philip Catanzaro as Chief Operating Officer Following Jim Sabin's Retirement

Evolving company leadership ushers in new era of growth

NEW ORLEANS, Feb. 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Bernhard announced today the promotion of Philip Catanzaro to Chief Operating Officer (COO) and the retirement of the Company's former COO, Jim Sabin.

Catanzaro began his career at Bernhard in 1997, and quickly rose to increasing positions of leadership, through and including his most recent role serving as the Company's President of Delivery. As COO, Catanzaro will oversee all day-to-day operations of Bernhard, including the program management of Energy-as-a-Service projects, implementation of strategic initiatives, and continued advancement of internal processes. Throughout his tenure, Catanzaro has relentlessly focused on innovation, continuous improvement, and enhancing operational execution.

"Philip has dedicated his entire career to Bernhard, serving in several critical roles during our growth," said Ed Tinsley, Bernhard CEO. "He brings strong leadership, a collaborative approach and operational expertise at a critical time as we continue our Energy-as-a-Service transformation."

In his new role as COO, Catanzaro's primary mission is to ensure operational readiness and organizational integration as Bernhard expands into new geographies, opens new service offerings and continues a commitment to being the leading Energy-as-a-Service provider in North America.

"I'm honored to have the opportunity to help guide the company into its next chapter," said Catanzaro. "Bernhard is made up of innovative and talented individuals who are truly masters in their field. I'm committed to empowering our teams to achieve even greater success, positioning the Company for continued growth, and providing ground-breaking solutions to reduce energy consumption and build infrastructure resiliency in partnership with our customers."

Catanzaro's promotion comes after the retirement of Sabin, who joined Bernhard in 2019, and led the Company through unprecedented growth in its Energy-as-a-Service offering.

"For many years, Jim has selflessly and dynamically led Bernhard's operations through a period of tremendous growth and transition," said Tinsley. "He has been an invaluable asset, partner and friend."

A steadfast leader, Sabin leaves Bernhard with nearly 40 years of experience in the engineering and construction industry. Prior to joining Bernhard, Sabin served as an executive at Stone & Webster Engineering Corporation, The Shaw Group, Inc., Chicago Bridge & Iron, and served as Board Director for NET Power, LLC.

"I'm proud of what we've built at Bernhard in becoming the only true turnkey Energy-as-a-Service provider in North America, partnering with our customers and communities to create a more sustainable future," said Sabin. "I want to thank our customers, shareholders, and the Board of Directors for their unwavering support. I also want to give my utmost appreciation to our employees whose work and dedication have allowed us to achieve more than any of us could have ever imagined."

About Bernhard 

Bernhard is one of the oldest and largest privately owned companies in America, with 100+ years of energy and infrastructure project experience serving higher education, health care, commercial and other markets. Bernhard combines development, financing, design, construction and operations to deliver turnkey Energy-as-a-Service solutions that reduce energy consumption and cost, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and transfer risk so that our customers can focus on their everyday work. Headquartered in Metairie, La., Bernhard has more than 2,000 employees in more than 20 office locations across the country. For more information, visit Bernhard.com. 

About DIF Capital Partners

DIF Capital Partners is a leading global independent fund manager, with more than €9.0 billion in assets under management across nine closed-end infrastructure funds and several co-investment vehicles. DIF has invested in more than 100 Public-Private Partnership projects over the past 16 years in sectors such as healthcare, government, and education, where the provision of energy, management of energy systems and efficiency of outputs are often a key feature of projects. DIF Capital Partners invests in greenfield and operational infrastructure assets located primarily in Europe, the Americas, and Australasia through two complementary strategies:

• Traditional DIF funds, of which DIF Infrastructure Fund VI is the latest vintage, target equity investments with long-term contracted or regulated income streams including public-private partnerships, concessions, utilities, and (renewable) energy projects.
• DIF CIF funds target equity investments in small to mid-sized economic infrastructure assets in the telecom, energy, and transportation sectors.

DIF Capital Partners has a team of over 170 professionals, based in ten offices located in Amsterdam (Schiphol), Frankfurt, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, New York, Paris, Santiago, Sydney, and Toronto. For more information please visit DIF.eu.

SOURCE Bernhard