Bernard (Bernie) Goldstein, chairman of the board of the Alter Companies, St. Louis, passed away on July 5, 2009.
Born in Rock Island, Ill., in 1929 and raised in the Quad Cities area along the Illinois-Iowa border, Bernie married his high school sweetheart Irene (Renee) Alter in 1949. Graduating from Rock Island High School at age 15, he earned a law degree from the University of Illinois in 1951, the same year he became a full-time employee at Alter Co., a Davenport, Iowa, scrap metal company owned by his father-in-law, Frank R. Alter.
In addition to building Alter Co. into a multi-state scrap recycling business, he went on to found Alter Barge Line, River/Gulf Grain, Rock Island River Terminal, Azalea Fleet in Louisiana, Blackhawk Fleet in Davenport, Iowa and Green Bridge Co. He remained chairman of the board of Alter Companies until his death.
A news release from Alter Cos. says his operating philsophy focused on his co-workers, his customers and his communities, and that over the course of his career Bernie created thousands of jobs, essentially producing lifelong careers for many of his employees.
Following his 40-year career in the scrap metal, river freight transportation and affiliated businesses as leader of the Alter Cos., Bernie tested retirement in Florida before he started a second career. At that time, in the early 1990s, he became a pivotal figure lobbying for the original legislation for riverboat gaming in Iowa, seeing it as an important economic development tool for the region. Bernie opened the nation’s first riverboat casino, the M/V Diamond Lady, in Bettendorf, Iowa, on April 1, 1991.
Bernie went on to found Casino America and opened the first riverboat casino in the Southeast in Biloxi, Miss. on August 1, 1992. Under Bernie’s leadership as CEO and chairman of Isle of Capri Casinos Inc., he owned and operated regional casinos in Mississippi, Louisiana, Missouri, Iowa, Colorado and Florida. He retired from his role as CEO in 2008 and served as chairman of the board until his death.
The author of “Navigating the Century,” a book published by the History Factory (1998), Bernie earned recognition from various organizations for his community spirit. He twice received the Simon Wiesenthal Distinguished Community Award. In 1993, he was selected Outstanding Business Leader by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County, Florida. In 1995, Passenger Vessel Association presented him the Compass Award, and in 1999, he was inducted into the National Rivers Hall of Fame. He was also honored in 1999 as Louisiana Ernst & Young Master Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2004 he received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the University of Illinois College of Law at Champaign-Urbana, where he served on the Board of Governors. In 2007, the Goldstein Family Foundation honored Bernie by establishing a scholarship fund at the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. In 2008, he received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries Inc. (ISRI) and was named to the American Gaming Association Hall of Fame.
Bernie’s charitable donations included gifts to philanthropic and community organizations, including the Jewish Federation and the Simon Wiesenthal Center.
Bernie is survived by his wife, Renee; his children, Jeffrey Goldstein (Regina) of Bettendorf, Iowa; Robert Goldstein (Susan) of St. Louis, Missouri; Kathy Goldstein of Bellevue, Washington and Richard Goldstein (Isabel) of St. Louis, Missouri; and his nine grandchildren, Michael Goldstein, Josh Millan, Marc Goldstein, Nathan Millan, Samantha Goldstein, Lauren Goldstein, Jeremy Goldstein, Alex Goldstein and Jesse Goldstein. He will be remembered by his lifelong friends and thousands of employees.
Memorial contributions may be made to the Jewish Federation of the Quad Cities, Jewish Federation of St. Louis, or the Simon Wiesenthal Center.