Vice President
Minghini’s General Contractors, Inc.
Photo by Josh Triggs/3MI Photography.
By Kevin Duvall
When asked what characteristics have most influenced her success, Berniece Collis’ answer is simple: “A genuine desire to see others succeed. When others succeed, we all succeed.”
It is this focus on community that drives Collis, vice president and co-owner of Minghini’s General Contractors, to make her family business a key part of the Martinsburg community.
Collis and her husband, Craig, bought the company from its original owner in 1988. Today, the couple operates the business with their two sons, Jacob and Morgan. In 1990, she began working for Minghini’s full time, taking charge of the office operations while her husband worked directly with crews on job sites.
“Looking back, it was one of the best decisions I ever made,” she says of the career change. “Working with Craig to build our company into a multimillion-dollar-a-year business has given me much joy, and I do not work a day in my life.”
Collis graduated magna cum laude from Shepherd University in 1977 as a McMurran Scholar and began working as a teacher for Berkeley County Schools two years later. Early on, she discovered a passion for teaching students with learning disabilities. As a result, she went on to earn a master’s degree in specific learning disabilities from West Virginia University in 1982 and worked as a specific learning disabilities resource teacher until joining Minghini’s full time. In 1987, she was named the Berkeley County School District’s Teacher of the Year.
When she joined Minghini’s, she didn’t want to leave her love of education behind, so she made it her mission to ensure her family business plays a role in education through community outreach. Collis joined the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce’s education committee and also found ways to contribute to the local business community that, in turn, helped her grow as a business owner, such as her appointment as vice chair in 2007 to the MVB Bank East Board and her position today on the MVB Bank advisory board.
“These experiences gave me new insight into the business world while garnering specific financial skills,” says Collis. “We can always learn, and I am most thankful for the opportunity to take this journey with the bank.”
With a heart for service, Collis has committed personal time and resources to supporting a number of organizations and causes that speak directly to her. She sits on the board of directors of the Martinsburg Rotary Club, is an executive committee member of Friends in Action of the Eastern Panhandle and serves as a charter member, presiding partner and financial partner of MONEY Unlimited, a women’s education group. She is also a member of Johnsontown Bible Church and attends Crossroads Church.
Previously, Collis was heavily involved in the Shawnee Girl Scout Council, where she served as president, fund development chairperson, executive committee member and a Juliette Low Society member. She also served eight years on the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital’s board of directors. Today, she sits on the Shenandoah Advisory Board and the Women’s Advisory Board and is the chair of the Women of Distinction Committee. In 2009, she helped complete the merger of the Shawnee Girl Scout Council and the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital, and in 2011, she was honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts Council of the Nation’s Capital.
“Girl Scouts is a passion for me,” says Collis. “I have seen firsthand the impact scouting can have on a girl’s life. It is rewarding to be a part of the future of girls and young women.”
Whether it is corporate stewardship or community volunteering, Collis is always looking for new opportunities to use her business and education skills to give back.
“I feel that my company and I owe a great debt,” says Collis. “We have been supported and given opportunities, and we are responsible for setting the example and cultivating the next generation of entrepreneurs and philanthropists for the well-being of our community. If our community is well, we will all be well.”
1979 Graduated magna cum laude and as a McMurran Scholar from Shepherd University
1982 Graduated with a master’s degree in specific learning disabilities from WVU
1987 Named Berkeley County School District’s Teacher of the Year
1988 Voted in as vice president at Minghini’s General Contractors, Inc.
1994 Elected to the Berkeley County Board of Education
2000 Named president of the Martinsburg-Berkeley County Chamber of Commerce
2008 Appointed to the MVB Financial Corp and MVB Bank boards
2009 Completed the merger between the Shawnee Girl Scout Council and the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital
2011 Honored as a Woman of Distinction by the Girl Scouts of the Nation’s Capital
2018 Received the Cliff Dochterman Award from the International Fellowship of Scouting Rotarians
