Millennium Magazine_6th Ed

24 Millennium - A Marquis Who’s Who Magazine G rowing up in Western Europe, Carolena van den Berk noticed the destruction of villas and homes in Berlin, Germany, following the war and was interested in how they could be fixed in order for cities to look whole again. In her youth, she was always drawing homes, and she tried to envision what a building would look like in real life after restoration. Fast forward to present day, Ms. van den Berk is the head artist, interior designer and builder for Van Den Berk-Clark Properties, Inc., in St. Louis, Missouri. Ms. van den Berk was born in Eindhoven in the Netherlands in 1941 and immigrated to the United States in 1972 after the birth of her youngest child. When she arrived to St. Louis, she noticed all of the large, beautiful buildings that stood vacant, similar to Berlin whose buildings were neglected and run down during the war. Ms. van den Berk made it her mission to work toward the restoration and re- beautification of St. Louis through her business, one job at a time. Her father was a writer for politics and economics, and she believes she inherited her business sense from him. Ms. van den Berk specializes in the rehabilitation of historical brick buildings, and she also works within the commercial and residential sectors of building and interior design. Notably, Ms. van den Berk was the recipient of the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award in 2019. She attributes her career success simply to hard work. She has an enormous amount of drive and does not let anyone obstruct her confidence and work because she is a woman, noting that her presence in the male-dominated field has not dissuaded her from achieving her dreams. In her free time, Ms. van den Berk enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, Professor John Clark; her children, Marcel, Andre, Carissa, Jessica, Sabrina and Eugene; and her grandchildren, Charlotte and Andrew. CAROLENA VAN DEN BERK ARTIST, INTERIOR DESIGNER, BUILDER Van Den Berk-Clark Properties, Inc. Saint Louis, MO ARCHITECTURE, CONSTRUCTION AND REAL ESTATE