REECE BERTHOLF
Beaufort Fire Chief to Deputy City Manager
story by JENNIFER BROWN-CARPENTER photos by PAUL NURNBERG family photos by SUSAN DELOACH
There are many types of people in Beaufort. Those born and raised here, the transplants. Teachers, police officers, business owners. Old and young. Out of the many people who do call Beaufort home, it’s hard to find someone kinder, gentler, and more humble than Reece Bertholf.
Reece grew up in a town of about 400 people in Minnesota. He spent his formative years living the small-town life. Even before graduating from high school, he knew where he was headed: the United States Marine Corps. He joined in 1997 and was sent to the Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, California.
Reece was like many kids. He was trying to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He was raised in a family that valued education, and the Marine Corps allowed him to further his education outside of Minnesota. At the time, joining the military was a different experience than it is today. It was a path toward college, job, and life skills, and the thought of defending our country was just the icing on the cake because the country was not then at war.
Reece was stationed overseas in Okinawa, Japan. After two years in Okinawa, his second duty station was here in Beaufort. He did not have a car and spent most of his time in the barracks. One day he caught a ride with someone to the fire station on Ribaut Road. The rest was history. He started volunteering there in spring and summer 2000. From that moment, Reece felt as if Beaufort had bent over backwards for him. He spent months going to the fire station to volunteer after finishing work for the day at the Marine Corps Air Station.
Reece married his wife, Mikie, in spring 2001 and ended his career in the Marine Corps honorably on August 11, 2001, exactly 30 days before 9/11 took place. He started working at the fire station and was building houses on the side. On the morning of 9/11, he was on his way to a construction site, but his truck was not driving right, so he made his way to the fire station. He ended up watching the day unfold there on the television.
At that time, he had only been out of the Marine Corps for 30 days and was in the Reserves. He expected to be called back but never was. Instead, he quickly grew his career with the fire department.
The department allowed him to become an EMT, to get all of his fire training done, and accomplish many more career goals. Reece has a framed piece of paper in his office of his goals over the years. It stands as a reminder to him and others of the goals you can accomplish when you stay focused. And one of those goals was becoming the Beaufort Fire Chief, which he achieved in 2015.
Mikie is a Japanese citizen, and they have two children together: Kiwa, a junior and a cheerleader at Beaufort High School; and Kai, a 6th grader at Riverview Charter School and a life member at The Stillness Academy.
For years, Reece worked 24 hours on, 48 hours off. As Reece and Mikie grew their family, they worked part-time and full-time jobs. They both took classes at the Technical College of the Lowcountry and graduated. Reece, with two associate degrees, then went on to USCB and graduated with his bachelor’s in Business. He continued to the Citadel and graduated with a master’s degree in Business Administration. Mikie graduated from Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas, with her bachelor’s degree in Radiologic Technology.
Mikie worked at the hospital while Reece was working at the fire department. “It really took a strong relationship to make it all work. And all the credit goes to Mikie,” Reece says.
Reece and his family could do that because of the “employee first” approach that the organization took. He was able to further his education while being employed, in order to serve the community in a larger capacity. “I feel a huge debt of gratitude to the city of Beaufort and the town of Port Royal and their citizens, who employed me, funded some of my education, and provided me with the time for a world-class education.”
Reece just celebrated 20 years as a firefighter on August 11 and was recently appointed the new Beaufort Deputy City Manager. “It’s a culmination of everything I have ever worked for. Everything led me to achieve my career goal as the Fire Chief of Beaufort, but I’ve always known there was so much more good work to be done.” Reece will continue to do that good work in his new position as Deputy City Manager.
Reece is now involved in discussions about affordable housing, growth, planning, and understanding what Beaufort will be like for future generations. “What we had before is not where we are today, and it’s not where we could be,” says Reece.
Reece is an instrumental part of the local government, how it serves the people, and what the future will look like. He provides empathy, kindness, and understanding to the citizens of our wonderful community.
Reece considers himself lucky to work with Bill Prokop, the City Manager of Beaufort, who impresses upon everyone who works with him the importance of customer service.
Reece is currently on the board at Riverview Charter School and C.A.P.A. (Child Abuse Prevention Association). His oldest daughter began attending Riverview the second year the charter school opened. “The school has been a blessing to our family,” says Reece. He enjoys serving on both boards and giving back to the community.
The next generation is important to Reece. “We can’t lose sight of what’s good and get lost in the problems.” We have the opportunity to continue the way of life in Beaufort and Port Royal if we acknowledge that it’s hard work and make the things that are unique to Beaufort continue to be accessible. “It is important to impress on our children and young adults that they matter. That’s what someone did for us, and it’s important that we do it for them. Our kids have to have opportunities here, whether they decide to stay after graduation, come back after college, or even later. We have to have opportunities for them to come back to.”
Reece’s number one goal is to make sure that the people around him can be successful. He wants to ensure that the citizens of Beaufort are heard, and that their ideas and thoughts do matter. He wants to make sure that opportunities exist for the people around him to transition into; opportunities that fulfill them, and make them happy and successful. Reece intends to take all of the leadership lessons as Fire Chief with him to his new position.
There is an immense sense of accomplishment that comes along with the job transition. Reece knew it was the right time. “For my career, I’m moving on and up. Change is good. Upper management movement is healthy for any organization.”
Reece’s position at the fire department has provided him the opportunity to be the best firefighter, student, person, family man, and friend that he could be.
Reece is grateful for his last five years as Fire Chief. He’ll always be the guy taking selfies in parades, but now not in uniform. He’s determined to dedicate himself to serving our community with his new role and duties.
