Longlife Spokesperson Bernie Nenner

Longlife Steel Buildings was proud and honored to have Bernie “Longlife” Nenner represent our company at 104 years old, at the time he was the oldest national spokesperson in America. His first T.V. commercial was filmed in 2008 at the age of 101 years old. Bernie Nenner was born in New York City on May 4, 1907. Ten years later, at the beginning of W.W.I., his father bought dairy and cattle farm and moved the family to Wisconsin. Ironically, back then the family barn was made of wood and not metal building construction, as the industry was just starting out. Bernie, at age ten, rode his horse to round up cows for milking and move cattle from one pasture to another. After the war, his father whose leg was badly broken by a kick from a horse moved his family to Freeport, Long Island. It was there that Bernie spent one year in High School before going to work at a dry cleaners. Bernie then started his own dry cleaning business that grew to 15 stores on the South Shore of Long Island. Bernie sold the chain and moved to Florida in 1950. He invested in a mobile home park and grew the business to three parks. Bernie sold that business in 1974 and completely retired at 67, 37 years ago!! Bernie attributes his longevity to eating very little meat, never smoking, exercising regularly and mostly luck. He has perfect hearing, corrected 20/20 vision, walks confidently and humbly professes to have the strength of a ninety year old although in reality he appears to be in better shape than most 80 year olds. Bernie and his second wife live in a two-bedroom apartment in an independent living retirement village where he donates his time as chief librarian. In 2008 when Longlife Steel Buildings asked Bernie if he would represent a company that made an extremely durable workshop steel building designed to last a lifetime, he agreed! Bernie is living proof, long living proof, that in the USA hard work, determination and self-reliance with a healthy lifestyle can bring the highest rewards. The most notable characteristics of Bernie are that he’s happy and greets each day with the anticipation of its possibilities. When asked if he still buys green bananas he said, “Yes. And I start 1000 page books.”