A respected figure in the insurance and banking industries, Robert Stephenson “Bob” Greer Jr. made an indelible impact on Baton Rouge, combining an abiding love for his hometown with ambitious ideas on how to make it better. Greer was recently named a 2026 Hall of Fame laureate (posthumous) by Business Report. Until his death in 2024 at age 77 following a brief illness, Greer was fully engaged in the community, still working full time as chair of b1Bank. Friends, family and colleagues describe him as an accomplished yet modest leader, a supportive father and grandfather, and an adoring husband to his wife of nearly 58 years, Alice Dugas Greer. “He was just an incredible person,” says son Jonathan Greer. “He impacted so many people and believed in kindness and in treating people the way you want to be treated. He would say you need to work hard, and you can play hard, but you need to give back to your community.” By 1985, Greer would ascend to become president and CEO of Baton Rouge-based Union National Life Insurance Company, a third-generation family business founded in 1926 by his grandfather, Fred Greer; great uncle Julius C. Greer; and H.P. Huff. But that was just among many significant career and community accomplishments. Greer would hold leadership roles with other local and national insurance companies, affect community change from the perch of several high-profile boards, and steer significant growth at b1Bank from his role as board chair. His career started with being told he’d have to start from the bottom. After graduating from LSU with a degree in business administration in 1969, he and wife Alice moved to Meridian, Mississippi, where Greer began work with Union National as a home service agent in the field selling insurance door to door. Within about three months, he was promoted to staff manager. “He’d come home after being in the field, and I’d ask him, ‘What did you do for lunch?’” Alice recalls. “He’d say, ‘We got some potted meat and sat on the hood of the car.’” It was a long way from the corner office, but Greer embraced it, Alice recalls, finding joy in meeting people and selling policies. Two years later, the couple and their two young sons moved to Tupelo, Mississippi, where Greer served as district manager. A promotion in 1973 brought the family back to Baton Rouge. Over the next 12 years, Greer sharpened his skills, becoming a certified life underwriter, or CLU, and progressing through several sales and marketing positions before becoming executive vice president under his father and then-President and CEO Robert Greer Sr. He also became involved in numerous local charities, including the Capital Area United Way, the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge, the ARC and Junior Achievement. He also developed a reputation for being a sharp dresser. “He was always the best dressed guy in the room,” son Steve Greer says. “Even at a crawfish boil, he was dressed to the nines. And his hair was always perfect.” Read the full story from Business Report, and send comments to [email protected].  ...read more read less