George L. Bernstein, 84, business executive
George L. Bernstein, 84, formerly of Elkins Park, a business executive who led the expansion of the Philadelphia accounting firm Laventhol & Horwath in the 1980s, died Sunday, Aug. 21, of congestive heart failure at Rydal Park.
George L. Bernstein, 84, formerly of Elkins Park, a business executive who led the expansion of the Philadelphia accounting firm Laventhol & Horwath in the 1980s, died Sunday, Aug. 21, of congestive heart failure at Rydal Park.
Mr. Bernstein lived in Elkins Park and Center City before moving to Rydal Park, a retirement community in Jenkintown.
Born in Philadelphia, he attended Central High School and earned degrees from the Wharton School and the Law School of the University of Pennsylvania.
After serving in the Army, he joined the accounting firm Laventhol Krekstein Griffith, which became Laventhol & Horwath in a 1967 merger.
Mr. Bernstein headed Laventhol's management consulting division for several years before serving as chief executive officer from 1980 to 1990. During that decade, he engineered mergers with 65 other midsized accounting firms to turn Laventhol into the seventh-largest public accounting firm in the country.
However, the firm was not adequately insured against hostile litigation. Beset by 115 legal actions and a recession in the commercial real estate industry, which it served, the company filed for bankruptcy in November 1990.
In the 1990s, Mr. Bernstein was chief operating officer of the law firm Dilworth, Paxson, Kalish & Kauffman and then chief financial officer of the executive search firm Howard Fischer Associates.
When he retired in 2008, he was president of GLB Consulting, a management consulting firm he ran from home.
In 1991, he was appointed to the board of directors of Dorman Products Inc., a Colmar supplier of automotive parts. He sat on other corporate and nonprofit boards as well.
"He was frequently sought out for his vast knowledge of accounting, finance and tax law," his family wrote in an appreciation.
Mr. Bernstein served on the board of directors of Albert Einstein Medical Center and the Mann Center for the Performing Arts for many years. He was a member of the Locust Club and its president from 1990 to 1992.
He was passionate about classical music, fine art, and theater, and traveled widely. He also was an avid golfer and skier.
His son, Harris Bernstein, described his father as sociable and professional. "He was a real gentle man, kind, and modest despite his accomplishments," he said. "He was persistent and never deterred by setbacks."
Besides his son, Mr. Bernstein he is survived by his wife of 62 years, Phyllis Wagner Bernstein; a daughter, Lisa; and two granddaughters.
A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 28, at Goldstein's Rosenberg's Raphael Sacks, 6410 N. Broad St., Philadelphia. Burial is private.
Contributions may be made to the American Heart Association, 5455 N. High St., Columbus, Ohio 43214.
610-313-8102