South Bend Cubs owner honored as 2025 recipient of Distinguished Citizen Award

SOUTH BEND, Ind. (WNDU) - Today was a special day for South Bend Cubs owner and philanthropist Andrew Berlin.

He was honored by the South Bend Rotary Club as the 2025 recipient of the Frank C. Rogers Distinguished Citizen Award.

Each year, the award goes to a non-rotarian who embodies the club’s motto of “Service Above Self.”

Berlin says out of all his investments — from ballistic missiles to skincare — baseball holds a special place in his heart. When he bought the South Bend Cubs in 2011, he promised to not only invest in the team but the city as well.

Now, Berlin says he loves South Bend and Indiana just as much as baseball.

Berlin has devoted himself to a number of city development projects, like the $23 million Ivy apartment complex in downtown South Bend. These projects have created hundreds of jobs and spurred millions in local investment.

Beyond his business interests, Berlin says he is equally committed to philanthropic efforts. He explained the criteria he looks for in a charity when donating proceeds from the South Bend Cubs’ charitable foundation.

“We do our analysis on which organizations we think are the best organizations to give to,” Berlin says. “For example, are they fiscally conservative? Do they take the dollars that they get and invest them or spend them wisely? What kind of people are working at these organizations? Are they honest, hardworking people that believe in the mission? The people who are receiving the benefit of that charity, are those benefits really being received and is it changing peoples’ lives for the better?”

Berlin also assured South Bend Cubs fans that the $48 million renovation of Four Winds Field will be completed by opening day in 2026.