The Spill Control Association of America (SCAA) wishes to acknowledge the passing of an industry leader and icon, Cliff Berry, Sr.
Cliff served in the US Air Force in the late 1940s, following his graduation from high school. After his military service, he began working in Port Everglades as a “hose handler” before deciding to start his own company in 1958, Cliff Berry, Inc., or known to many as simply “CBI”. CBI is now a national and globally recognized leader and innovative company in the environmental and oil spill industry, and led for the past twenty-five (25) years by Cliff’s son, Cliff Berry II.
As a pioneer in the industry, the early days of CBI included a number of industry-leading innovations. In the 1960s, Cliff designed and built Port Everglades’ first ever vacuum trucks used to clean up spills and pits where oil transfers take place. Today, CBI operates over fifty (50) vacuum trucks within a fleet of more than 800 modern motorized vehicles, vessels and specialized equipment. In the late 1970s, Cliff designed and implemented a manifold system with unloading arms that are still in operation today in Port Everglades. This was a significant innovation as it changed the way petroleum vessels off loaded their millions of gallons of gasoline, diesel, jet fuel and other commodities and made it much safer and efficient moving from men physically lugging around and laying out long lengths of rubber hoses to simply connecting the “loading arms” to the vessel and offloading directly into the underground pipelines.
In addition to early innovations in our industry, Cliff led an organization that was a leader in responding to catastrophic events throughout the Southeast, the country and international venues. In 1992, CBI was at the forefront of providing clean-up services to the devastation brought by Hurricane Andrew to South Florida. The following year, a three-vessel collision in Tampa Bay caused a massive spill of 330,000 gallons of fuel oil and 32,000 gallons of jet fuel, diesel and gasoline into the mouth of Tampa Bay. CBI was one of the initial responders on scene that started booming and skimming operations to contain and clean up the product on the water, as well as shoreline operations.
Only a year later, CBI was a key responder to the grounding and three (3) million-gallon oil spill of the M/V MORRIS J. BERMAN in San Juan, Puerto Rico. CBI was not only the first domestic responder to be on scene, but also gained national recognition for its innovation in the submerged oil recovery operations, implementing extremely successful tactics and equipment that had never been used previously on such a large response. In 2010, CBI mobilized an extensive crew and fleet of equipment to respond to the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. CBI managed over 300 miles of beach cleanup as well as dozens of vessels and equipment decontamination. CBI has also been an active responder to various tropical storms and hurricanes that have impacted Florida and the Gulf Region over the past twenty years.
Over his lifetime, Cliff Berry had a long and distinguished list of awards and recognitions. Most notably, he and CBI were awarded the USCG’s William M. Benkert Award, in recognition for leadership in marine environmental protection. Cliff also was awarded a USCG Distinguished Public Service Award, the 2nd highest civilian award given by the Coast Guard. Locally, he was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award by Port Everglades Association, Seafarers’ House International Golden Compass Award, and due to his advocacy for artificial reefs, one off Fort Lauderdale is officially named “Berry Reef”.
Charitable work was also important to Cliff. He had been a lifelong supporter of the Port Everglades Seafarers’ House, where today his son, Cliff II, carries on that legacy of charitable stewardship as President of the Board of Seafarers House. He was also a lifelong member and supporter of the Trinity Lutheran Church and School in Fort Lauderdale. On a lighter side, Cliff will always be remembered for his famous Port Everglades; all-hands invited BBQs!
But what’s most important, and to be remembered about Cliff Berry is commitment to his family and employees over the years. Whether it be the hundreds of employees that worked for CBI over the years, his large extended family, including four brother, eleven grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren, or his six children; Cynthia, Sandra, Candace, Barbara, Kimberlee, and Cliff II. Lastly, his faith; and the love of his life, his devoted wife Betty, to whom he was married to for 72 years….and he now joins her in Heaven.
SCAA wishes to raise a glass to an industry icon. We send our thoughts and our condolences to his family, but at the same time celebrate the legacy and contributions made to our industry, and to our lives.
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