Anti-drilling sentiment wasn’t always the norm

“The kind of thing I’m good at is knowing every politician in the state and remembering where he itches. And I know where to scratch him,” former Gov. Earl Long once said.

A good friend of the governor, Doyle Berry has raised that bar, establishing relationships with U.S. presidents, congressmen and the like while growing his 52-year-old Berwick business into a one-call solution provider in oil field and industrial construction.

Berry, who turned 80 this year – the company’s co-founder – continues to work at the office daily. It’s been his routine since he and his late brother Everett left Mendenhall, Miss., in 1956 and opened the doors to Berry Bros. General Contractors. Today, the business includes the corporate office in Berwick (Gulf States Division), a Shreveport office (Central States Division) and a Meeker, Colo. Office (Rocky Mountain Division) as well as operations in Pennsylvania and Oklahoma.

Berry is still the CEO, but his nephew Joe (Everett’s son) pretty much runs the show, overseeing operations and the 400-person staff.

“I’m a Christian. I believe in doing what God wants you to do,” Berry said of his business and life philosophy. “I’m just the storekeeper. God owns it all.”

Survival in today’s market requires operating lean, finding reliable workers and treating them well and being ready “to work like hell day and night to get the thing going,” he said.

“If you’re in, or want to be in business, you’ve got to provide good, honest service. You have to tell the truth,” Berry said. “I pride myself on that because, if I didn’t, my old daddy would come up out of the grave and kick my butt.”

Berry Bros. services range from providing a labor force on rigs to total gas plant installations. With the moratorium still in effect, the company has been forced to modify its niche. Lately, that’s meant more stevedoring and natural gas work.

“This moratorium has shut everything down,” Berry said. “We didn’t get hurt, but we haven’t made any money this year, either. This is just not a good year.”

A lifelong Republican – with previous ties to former Presidents Richard Nixon Gerald Ford and Ronald Reagan, Berry is holding out hope attitudes toward the oil and gas industry change after the November election.

“People are scared and reluctant,” he said of the current economic atmosphere. “Things are in a state of flux. There is rebellion in this country because people are tired of the government spending too much money and putting the country too far in debt.”

High among the misplaced spending, Berry includes President Barack Obama’s decision to loan billions to Brazil for drilling. “That really worries me,” he said. “If our rigs go down there, they’re not coming back … period.”

But the White House wasn’t always a stranger to the needs and concerns of the Gulf Coast region.

Berry knows that firsthand. The service provider has enjoyed personal friendships with past leaders of the free world.

“I met Ford while playing golf and we became close friends very quickly,” Berry recalled. “He was an all-around great guy.

“I miss talking to him and playing gin with him to this day,” he continued. “I was honored when Mrs. Ford sent me a personal invitation to his funeral.”

Just last week, Berry sent Betty Ford, the late president’s wife, some peach roses – “her favorite.”

Berry was a regular dinner partner with President Reagan when his travels brought him to south Louisiana. “One time, on a New Orleans visit, [the president] had the Secret Service send for me by phone and car,” he said.

Former Vice President Dick Cheney is another of Berry’s friends. “He’s a jokester,” the Berwick businessman said. “I called him one time and told him he should consider running for president. He told me he had no desire to be president. Then, the next thing I knew, about a week or so later, he was the running mate to be Vice President for President George W. Bush,” Berry said, chuckling.

On the homefront, Berry’s rubbed shoulders with famous and infamous past governors. Edwin Edwards, whom he credits with helping establish the port, and Russell and Earl Long, two of his favorite buddies.

Russell Long’s wife used to tell me that I was the son Russell never had,” Berry divulged. “We were dear friends … extremely close.”

Berry describes Earl Long as a “pistol.” “He loved Blaze Starr and she him,” he said. “Everyone thought she was all about the money, but she wasn’t. She was so torn up when Earl died.”

Berry Bros. founder Doyle Berry holds an autographed picture of former President Ronald Reagan. At age 80, Berry has counted three presidents among his friends – Reagan, Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. He’s also friendly with former Vice President Dick Cheney, whom he calls “a jokester.” HOWARD J. CASTAY JR.