Mark Berkowitz, Corporate Counsel

Culture:

I like being a part of a company that makes an important contribution to our communities. I’m not a structural engineer – and the chances of me ever designing an earthquake-resistant structure are roughly on par with the odds of me playing in the NBA this year – but, in my own way, I contribute to the success of our firm and our employees. After all, somebody has to make sense of the contracts that come across our desks and ensure that appropriate risk management measures are in place.

Career:

I feel that I have some control over my destiny by working for an employee-owned firm. The success of our firm is driven by people I work with everyday … and I’m comfortable with that. I enjoy not having to worry about pleasing outside stakeholders who may not have a very good grasp on the nature and intricacies of our business.

Passion:

There’s a lot of variety in my job. Each day, I can pick and choose from a host of things to do, many of which have little in common with the other.

On the job:

My former boss at a previous employer took a job at Degenkolb and, over the course of several telephone calls, sold me on the virtues of the company. He was straightforward in telling me that this was a new type of position at Degenkolb – one that had not existed previously- and that if it didn’t work out the company would have to let me go. That was in 1996.