The Deep Foundations Institute (DFI) announces Charles J. Berkel as the recipient of the DFI 2007 Distinguished Service Award. Awarded to individuals who have made lifetime contributions in the deep foundations design and construction industries, Berkel, chairman of the board of Berkel and Company Contractors Inc., will be given the award at the October 12th Awards Banquet of DFI's 32nd Annual Conference on Deep Foundations in Colorado Springs, Colo. His selection for the 26-year-old award was based on his accomplishments in the foundation construction industry and for the exemplary growth of the firm under his leadership. He founded Berkel and Company in 1957 in Bonner Springs, Kansas, specializing in pressure grouting and the installation of auger pressure grouted piles. Under his management, the firm expanded to include a separate division for sheeting, shoring and underpinning and over the last 50 years, the company grew to be the largest piling contractor in the United States with billings in 2005 of $130 million.