MAY 10, 1925 - NOVEMBER 4, 2013 Charles J. Berkel: Chairman of the Board of Berkel & Company Contractors Charles J. (Charlie) Berkel started his company in 1959 and grew it to become one of the largest piling contractors in the U.S. He was a charter member of DFI, a recipient of the 2007 DFI Distinguished Service Award and, posthumously, a recipient of the DFI Educational Trust Legends Award in 2015. Berkel was awarded Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2008 and also received an Honorary Doctorate in Industrial Science from the University of Saint Mary in Leavenworth, Kan. Undoubtedly, one of Berkel’s greatest legacies will be the result of the $1,000,000 donation he made to the DFI Educational Trust Scholarship Program in 2008. Since then, the Charles J. Berkel Memorial Scholarship Fund has awarded $566,000 in scholarships through 2018 to deserving civil engineering students throughout the U.S. Even after distributing these awards, the fund’s balance is still near that original $1,000,000. In 2006, the DFI Educational Trust was established as an independent 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit organization by DFI. The mission of the Trust is, in part, to support and encourage individuals in the fields of study related to the deep foundations industry by providing scholarships. This mission resonated with Berkel when he read about the Trust’s establishment in Deep Foundations magazine. He always felt it was his college education at the University of Illinois that provided him with the basis for his career achievements, and he wanted to be able to help future generations have those same opportunities. After graduating from college in 1946 and serving in the military, Berkel worked as a field engineer for Intrusion-Prepakt, which specialized in pressure grouting and preplaced concrete aggregate concrete repair work. In some soil conditions, it was necessary to use an auger to reach the required pressure grouting depth, where, in these cases, a grout pipe was driven beside the auger and grout was then pumped as the auger and grout pipe were withdrawn. This was the origin of the modern day Augered Cast- In-Place (ACIP) pile installation process. Raymond Patterson of Intrusion-Prepakt filed for a patent on this process in 1951, and the patent was granted in 1956. The process was then modified when a suitable hollow stem auger was developed that allowed for grouting through the auger. Berkel was the field engineer for Intrusion- Prepakt on the first commercial ACIP pile project ever done, which was in Columbus, Ohio. In 1951, Berkel was transferred to Kansas City as a regional manager for Intrusion-Prepakt. He started his own company out of the basement of his house under a licensing agreement with Intrusion-Prepakt in 1959. Berkel then coined the term Auger Pressure Grouted (APG) pile for his company to use. As the DONOR PROFILE company grew, he led by example instilling in his employees the values of a strong work ethic, a high-quality product and doing things right the first time. He shared this success by starting a company ESOP in 1976 with a plan for it to take full ownership of the company upon his leaving, effectively giving his company to his employees, who helped him build it. Today, Berkel & Company Contractors is 100 percent employee owned. Berkel was a leader in the Kansas City community, sharing his wisdom, time and means with those in need. He served on numerous boards including: University of Saint Mary; Brotherhood Bank and Trust; Providence Hospital; St. Joseph Care Center; United Way of Wyandotte County; Wyandotte Mental Health; national, state and local chambers of commerce; Villa Saint Francis; and the National Agricultural Hall of Fame Center. In addition, Berkel was a member of Deep Foundations Institute, American Society of Civil Engineers, American Railway Bridge and Building Association, Sierra Club of Kansas City, Knights of Columbus, Knights of the Holy Sepulcher, Knights of Malta and Sacred Heart Parish. In 2008, Berkel made a bold decision to dramatically support the newly-established charitable arm of the DFI with its first large scholarship fund donation. Following in his footsteps, many other outstanding scholarship programs have since been established through the Educational Trust. In 2018, the DFI Educational Trust is budgeted to award $190,000 in scholarships and $80,000 of that amount is from the Charles J. Berkel Memorial Scholarship Fund. He leaves behind quite a legacy overall, with his scholarship fund being one of his greatest lasting legacies for the deep foundations industry. AUTHOR Tracy Brettmann – Vice Chair of the DFI Educational Trust DEEP FOUNDATIONS • JULY/AUG 2018 • 67
