Since 1967, Bert Berkley has served as chairman of the board at Tension Envelope Corporation, having formerly excelled as the corporation’s president and chief executive officer in Kansas City, Missouri, from 1962 to 1988. During his tenure, he secured several patents on behalf of the corporation. Tension Envelope Corporation is revered as the first company to develop the string-and-button closure used for document envelopes.
Earlier in his career, Mr. Berkley served in the United States Army, having entered the Army as a private and served in World War II for 42 months. After serving 22 months of that time in the Philippines, he exited the Army as a first lieutenant, having also attended the Officers Training School. Mr. Berkley received a Bachelor of Arts from Duke University in 1948 and a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School in 1950. Following his graduation, he was called back to the Army during the Korean War, where he served 11 months in Korea and 17 full months during the war. For his military service, he was honored with a Bronze Star for Meritorious Service and the Combat Infantry Badge. In 2010, he was awarded an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Missouri Valley College.
Outside of his primary efforts, Mr. Berkley is recognized as a civic advocate, having always represented the community of Kansas City and its surrounding areas. Authoring “Giving Back: Connecting You, Business, and Community” in 2009, he previously served as president of the Civic Council of Greater Kansas City, president of the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, and director of the Family and Community Trust of the State of Missouri. Likewise, Mr. Berkley served as the founder of the Local Investment Commission since 1992, director of Turn the Page Kansas City since 2012 and member of the advisory council of the Smithsonian National Postal Museum since 2016, among many other civic appointments.
Notably, Mr. Berkley was recognized with the “Mr. Kansas City” Distinguished Service Award in 1972 for his laudable efforts with the Kansas City Chamber of Commerce. He also earned an accolade from the mayor of Independence, Missouri, in 2010, as well as the Senior Civil Rights Award from the NAACP in 2009. Earlier, he was bestowed with a Proclamation by the Mayor and City Council of Kansas City in 2008, the CEO Advocate of the Year Award from the Mid-American Minority Supplier Development Council in 1991, and the Chancellor’s Medal from the University of Missouri at Kansas City in 1989. Most recently, he received the Janet Miller Community Involvement Award from the Kansas City Friends of Alvin Ailey in 2020. In May 2009, he was honored with the eponymous Bert Berkley Chair for Community Relations by the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee in recognition of his steadfast advocacy of justice in Kansas City.