Continuing to serve in a new way with Property Management

As a 10-year-old, when Darrell Berry wanted a new bike, he did what not many kids would do. “I learned how to build one,” he said.

That early experience started him on a career that led him to a career with the United States Navy and, ultimately, to his current role as an engineer with JLL at the RBC Gateway Building in Minneapolis.

Serving in the military had always been his goal growing up, and he joined the Reserve Officers' Training Corps in high school to prepare. But he was just 17, too young to enlist in the Army, right after graduation. His Army recruiter has a solution.

“The Navy, he said, will provide a lot of assistance after you serve,” he said. “That’s where I got my engineering training.”

He was a damage controlman assigned to an engineering department where most of his duties were as a firefighter. He quickly found other work in doing repairs — after all, it’s not like a repair company is a call away in the middle of the ocean.

“You had to repair your own pumps and fix the fire systems,” he said. “There was a lot of cross training with HVAC, plumbing and ship repairs, for example.”

His service lasted 23 years, during which he lived in the Philippines and Japan and rose through the ranks to become a Chief Petty Officer as his technical knowledge grew.

“I actually got to the point where I did almost everything,” he said. “I started as a fireman and left as a ship inspector.”

He’d also married and started a family, so when he retired, the next big decision was where to start over. He and his family moved to Minneapolis, where his mother was living, and considered options. Originally considering firefighting, he joined a real estate firm that was seeking engineers to work on high-rise buildings.

“I saw how close all the equipment was to that on the ships,” he said.

A connection helped him set up two interviews within a day and he landed an apprenticeship with a major developer. He later transferred to RBC’s previous location, and when it moved, so did he, becoming an Assistant Chief Engineer.

After spending most of his second career working on older buildings, however, Darrell was looking for a new challenge — and when he learned of an opportunity to work at a new building being commissioned that year, he took it.

“I’d never worked on a new building, and I wanted the experience,” he said. “I joined JLL two months before this building came online in February 2022. It’s a different challenge.”

The mixed-use building, the tallest to be built in Minneapolis in nearly 20 years, houses a Four Seasons Hotel, RBC Wealth Management’s U.S. headquarters and 34 private condo residences. Monitoring is constant for Darrell and his four-man team.

“Usually, I start by coming in and checking in for any alarms, seeing the building is coming up online and making sure that the building is operating the right way, ensuring everyone is checking in,” he says.

“Usually, I start by ensuring that the building is operating properly by checking the building automation system and walking the building, and ensuring all engineering personnel are following daily work plans, which vary from day to day,” he says.

In many ways, the military was the perfect preparation for what he’s doing now.

“It’s amazing how similar a ship is to a building,” Darrell says. “You have your fire systems, plumbing systems and HVAC systems. Even the routine is similar. You have morning rounds and evening rounds. All of that prepared me for what I do today.”

His service also prepared him to lead a team, he continues.

“Their leadership program teaches that you deal with personnel in certain situations in different ways. You learn to stay calm even the situation around you is not,” he says.

That engineering training immediately kicks in, allowing him, for example, to quickly analyze and make sure the situation is safe before engaging in an emergency situation, which saves time and property damage.

Now married for 29 years, with 21-year-old and nine-year-old children, Darrell is also looking to pass on the kind of training he received in the Navy to future industry professionals. He serves on the board of directors of BOMA’s Greater Minneapolis chapter, which has received a state grant to train new engineers and is involved in developing an apprenticeship program at JLL.

“I’ve seen it from being a 17-year-old firefighter to a 42-year-old ship inspector. I’ve liked developing people throughout my career,” Darrell says, never forgetting how a ROTC officer suggested an alternate path to his military service and another person went out of his way to set up two interviews, starting him on his post-military career. “The way you treat people comes back to you.”