Pius Bernhard came to the United States with no money, no home and no idea what he was getting himself into. But if the German had anything, it was grit and persistence. Determined to make a better life for himself, Bernhard set out to become a master cabinet-maker. He began his career in Germany, immigrated to the States in 1951 and eventually started his own company on Chicago’s North Side. That was decades ago, and now Bernhard Woodwork is celebrating its 50th anniversary of creating high-end custom architectural woodwork.

The Northbrook-based company moved into town back in 1976 and has been a major staple in the woodworking industry ever since. Walking into Bernhard’s office makes this abundantly clear — its walls are covered in awards the business has racked up over the years. A quick look at prior projects can also confirm Bernhard is an industry leader — the business has done work for Neiman Marcus, Macy’s, Bloomingdale’s and Estée Lauder, not to mention overseas orders in China, Thailand and England.

 

Pius Bernhard passed away in 1999 from a heart attack, but he’d be impressed by the company’s legacy, according to his son, Mark Bernhard. "My gosh, would he have been proud," said Mark, the president of the company.  "His school was bombed out in sixth grade and he was never able to attain a formal education. A lot of people put him down and said you’ll never make it. He would’ve been proud to say you guys were wrong."

 

Pius Bernhard’s influence continues to this day — the company uses a European-style apprenticeship program to train staff who end up working on interiors for commercial, retail and residential projects. Bernhard now employs 80 people whose average time at the company is 14 years. A quick tour around the plant in the Sky Harbor complex shows part of the reason why people stick around so long.  "A lot of people have this vision of a cabinet shop — Gepetto in a shop — [that] when they walk in and see automated assembly, CAD technology, they’re blown away," Mark Bernhard said.

Bernhard has kept his facility stocked with the latest machinery, including top-of-the-line computerized numerical control routers, sanders, joiners and saws. But he knows that his best resource, above all else, is people. "We’re not guys that just put together boxes," Mark Bernhard said. "We do whole-wood environments. There’s a lot more challenge, and for that you need highly skilled people."