In Memory

Fredric Berger

Fredric Berger

BERGER FREDRIC S. BERGER "Fred" A long time executive and board director and son of the founder of Louis Berger, a global $1 billion professional services corporation, passed away on April 23, 2015. Mr. Berger died at age 67 at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC after an 18-month battle with pancreatic cancer. Mr. Berger served as chairman emeritus of Louis Berger at the time of his death, and previously served as chairman of the U.S. operating company where he was responsible for overseeing the company's long-range vision and strategic programs. He continued to play an active role in the company throughout his illness, helping usher in a new era of modernization and restructuring within the corporation, while championing the company's global brand consolidation. He also led expanded relationships with the company's Chinese partners, memorialized in December 2014 with the signing of a 10-year joint venture contract extension with CHELBI. Louis Berger's 30-year joint venture with HPDI-CHELBI-marks one of the longest standing U.S.-Chinese joint venture company in existence. Since beginning his career with a three-week assignment in 1972 that turned into a three-year adventure in Nigeria, Mr. Berger remained actively involved in Louis Berger's international development and engineering practices. During his career, he worked on four continents and managed projects in nearly 70 countries. "The more countries I worked in, the more it reinforced my belief that engineers, to be useful in the 21st century, need to have to have international experience and a global perspective," said Mr. Berger in a 2009 inter- view at Tufts University where he also served on the board of overseers. This would serve as a driving theme in Mr. Berger's career as he would dedicate his life and time to advancing globalization within the engineering and development fields. His extensive engagement in industry associations, education and government advisory committees have helped to shape an evolving global industry. He was honored by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in 2007 with an Outstanding People and Leaders (OPAL) award for his lifetime achievement in management. Mr. Berger served as liaison between ASCE's International Activities Committee and the Association of Civil Engineering Companies (ACEC) international committee. He also participated in the advisory board for the ASCE's professional capacity building program in Afghanistan. He served as vice president for ACEC for two years and also played an active role on ACEC's Engineering Excellence Awards committee. In 2004, Mr. Berger became a founding trustee of the American University of Afghanistan, the only coeducational, independent, private university in Afghanistan. He served as advisory board member of the University of California, San Diego's School of International Relations and Pacific Studies, and served on the International Advisory Council of the United States Institute of Peace. During his career, Mr. Berger served as a chairman of the International Engineering and Construction Industry Council, where he led a delegation to Japan providing opportunities for US firms to participate in the Japanese infrastructure expansion program. He also served on the Industrial Trade Advisory Committee on Services for the Dept. of Commerce and on the Export Import Bank's Southern Africa Advisory Committee. Locally, Mr. Berger served on the board at The Maret School, an international school in Washington, D.C., from which his three children graduated. A registered professional engineer, Mr. Berger earned a Masters of Science in Civil Engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a Bachelor's in Economics from Tuft University. He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth "Betty" Brannan; his adult children, Sofia, Nathan and Susana; and his sister, Jane Stonborough. Sofia Berger continues the family legacy as a third-generation executive in the company, currently responsible for leading operations in Latin America and the Caribbean.