Bahr raises the bar at Reinhart

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Beth Bahr leads the human resources team at Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren and refers to herself as a human resources generalist, though she prefers to specialize in employee engagement, employee development and maximizing her firm’s internal client services.

“That’s the piece of my job I enjoy the most,” Bahr said. “I’ve had the pleasure to work with wonderful people who desire to be successful, and my goal is always to help them succeed.”

She said she appreciates that her job gives her an opportunity to help people with benefit questions, guide them toward instructional opportunities, and offer a listening ear.

“I have a few notes that I’ve received over the years that I cherish,” she said. “They are from people I’ve worked with who have thanked me for helping them with their careers, helping them transition to a different role or to retirement, or for just offering them support. That’s what HR is really all about — making a positive difference in the professional lives of the people I work with every day.”

As director of human resources, she manages five team members and oversees employee benefits, wellness, 401(K) administration, staff recruiting, employee relations and compensation. Additionally, she works with the firm CEO, Jerry Janzer, and others to achieve and maintain the firm’s client-service standards.

“Beth is an essential member of our team and one of the leaders of our organization,” Janzer said. “As director of human resources, she’s not only responsible for all of the employee issues throughout the firm and all of our offices. Her value became even more evident in the last two years as we renovated our two largest offices in Madison and Milwaukie.”

On a recent renovation project, Bahr has been working regularly with architects, contractors and suppliers to ensure everything runs smoothly. She also relays project details to attorneys and staff employees to ensure temporary relocations and floor transitions are seamless.

Bahr has also initiated employee satisfaction surveys and used the responses to improve the firm’s accommodations for employees.