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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.
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 at 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.”
Greer was named Union National’s president and CEO in 1985, leading the company’s expansion to seven states with 36 district offices and 750 agents. That growth, in turn, drew opportunities. In 1989, Union National’s shareholders narrowly voted to sell it to Unitrin Corporation in Chicago.
“Bob had a good way of discerning what was best for an organization, and he was able to make those tough decisions,” Alice recalls.
Unitrin recruited Greer to serve as president of the home service division of United Insurance Company of America. The couple embraced Chicago as a new adventure.
“When Chicago came up, I was in denial for a while,” Alice recalls. “But we were a team, and it was something he wanted and needed to do. And I was extremely proud that they had picked him to run their home service division because it truly was an achievement he’d reached on his own.”
Their years in Chicago turned out to be some of the Greers’ most favorite. They lived on the 23rd floor of a Michigan Avenue high-rise and Bob walked several blocks to work every day. As they’d done in Baton Rouge, they donated time to community causes.
“They had a really great experience in Chicago,” recalls Jonathan Greer. “It was just the two of them, and as my mom said … they just sort of grew together.”
Greer’s national star continued to rise. In 1995, Louisville, Kentucky-based Providian asked him to become president of its Commonwealth, Peoples Security and Capital Security Insurance Companies, as well as chief operating officer of Providian Agency Group. Alice recalls the day Bob was introduced as the new president.
“When it was announced, he got a standing ovation because he was a well-known and respected leader across the industry,” she says.
The couple would remain in Louisville for five years before returning to Baton Rouge in 1998.
Community organizations immediately asked the couple to resume their work on local boards. Greer worked with son Jonathan in wealth management for a few years before he was asked to lead another company, LEMIC Insurance.
Greer also worked on high-profile community projects, serving as board chair of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center from 1999 to 2009. Expanding cancer care hit close to home. He and Alice were both cancer survivors. Alice’s bout with breast cancer while in Louisville motivated Greer to work on Mary Bird Perkins’ ambitious partnership with Woman’s Hospital to establish a wing for breast and gynecological cancers. The facility opened in 2018 and is considered one of local health care’s biggest successes.
“His strategic guidance, calm demeanor and ability to inspire confidence made a huge impact,” says former Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center CEO Todd Stevens.
In 2011, Greer’s career entered a new phase when he joined the board of directors of b1Bank. He was named board chair within six months.
“We were going through a time of change and kind of rebooting, and I felt like Bob would be a great, consistent mentor for me as we went through that process,” says b1Bank President and CEO Jude Melville. “It was a great partnership.”
Melville says Greer helped him shepherd the bank through major milestones, including six acquisitions, expansion throughout Louisiana and into Texas, and going public in 2018.
Community involvement and social activities continued to enrich his life. He and Alice dined religiously at Ruth’s Chris on Friday nights and Mansurs on the Boulevard on Sundays.
“He loved being around people and building relationships. He didn’t care if you were the CEO or the valet,” Steve Greer says.
Over the course of a long and storied career, Greer’s influence was palpable. Following his unexpected death in 2024, tributes poured in from Baton Rouge and across the country.
“My dad had an amazing ability to lead and just understand the room,” Jonathan Greer says. “He had a true servant’s heart.”
Milestones
1947: Born in New Orleans. Family returns to Baton Rouge in 1949.
1965: Graduates from Baton Rouge High School after years of attending local public schools.
1966: Marries St. Joseph’s Academy graduate Alice Dugas. Friends and family call their 57 years of marriage a model partnership.
1967: Son Robert Stephenson “Steve” Greer III is born.
1969: Graduates from LSU in business administration. Joins Union National Life Insurance Company, a third-generation family business founded in 1926 by his grandfather, Fred J. Greer; great uncle Julius C. Greer; and H.P. Huff. Begins as a home service agent in the newly created Meridian, Mississippi, district. Promoted to staff manager in three months.
1970: Son Jonathan Kramer Greer is born.
1971: Becomes manager of new Tupelo, Mississippi, district.
1973: Returns to Baton Rouge as home office field supervisor.
1976-1984: Progresses through several sales and marketing positions. Earns chartered life underwriter (CLU) designation with The American College of Financial Services. Named executive vice president under his father and then-President and CEO Fred Greer. Becomes involved in local charities over the years, including Capital Area United Way, Volunteer Baton Rouge!, the ARC and Junior Achievement.
1985: Named president and CEO of Union National Life Insurance Company.
1989: Shareholders vote to sell Union National to Unitrin Corporation in Chicago.
Recruited to Chicago to serve as president of the home service division of United Insurance Company of America, while continuing to serve as president of Union National Life Insurance Company and Union National Fire Insurance Company. All were part of the Chicago-based holding company Unitrin.
1995: Relocates to Louisville, Kentucky, to become president of Providian’s Commonwealth, Peoples Security and Capital Security Insurance companies, as well as chief operating officer of Providian Agency Group. Community involvement includes the Kentucky Fund for the Arts and Home of the Innocence.
1998: Returns to Baton Rouge. Works with his son Jonathan for a few years before becoming CEO of LEMIC Insurance Company, where he remained until 2011.
2005: Named chair of Mary Bird Perkins Cancer Center board, following five years as its development committee chair. Works alongside CEO Todd Stevens on Mary Bird Perkins’ partnership with Woman’s Hospital to establish a new wing for breast and gynecological cancers.
2011: Joins the board of b1Bank, becoming chair within six months, a position he remained in until his death in 2024. Shepherds major b1Bank milestones, including six acquisitions and expansion throughout Louisiana and into Texas. Bank goes public in 2018.
2024: Dies from metastatic cancer.
Read about the other 2026 Business Awards & Hall of Fame honorees.
