1990s

Sales soared with the introduction of Series 2000, and the Burke headquarters once again expanded to accommodate the need for additional production and office facilities.  

 

Then Governor Tommy Thompson paid a visit to the factory and made a huge hit with the Burke team when he cheerfully went down a Burke slide in his business suit. 

 

When the newly formed Consumer Product Safety Commission announced that it would publish distinct safety guidelines for two ages groups -- one for 2-5 year olds and the other for 5-12 year olds -- BCI Burke became the first playground company to invent a play system specifically designed for the preschool age set. Greg assembled a team of the best industrial designers and product engineers to create Genesis^® , a play system like no other before, and he introduced it in 1994. Seeking input from child development experts, child care providers, and teachers, Genesis incorporated many of the suggestions.   It was ergonomically designed for small hands and feet, had holes and windows for optimum supervision, had a warm whimsical appeal, and was constructed of soft, roto-molded plastic.

 

The result of the Genesis innovation was that Burke won three awards in 1994; one from Industrial Design Excellence Award in 1996, a second from the National Association of Educators of Young Children in 1997, and the third from Business Week. The design was also featured in a special exhibit at the Milwaukee Art Museum in 2003.

 

The following year, Greg continued Burke’s commitment to protecting the environment by introducing Burke’s first recycled plastic playground equipment called Repro Series 1000^®. Nineteen ninety-five was also the year that three signature Burke pieces were introuduced: the Spiral Slide, the Rock Climber and the Satellite Climber. Greg and his team continued to invent and re-invent Burke products—always looking for ways to serve customers in new and innovative ways. 

 

Another Burke pioneering endeavor was introduced in 1997 with the release of Series 3000. This system featured 3 1/2” posts with a bolt-through system and was designed specifically for tighter spaces and smaller budgets, helping broaden the appeal of the high quality Burke product line. 

 

After a short decade in the playground business, Greg Burke -- grandson of founder J.E. Burke -- decided it was time to find a successor to take the Burke business into the 21^st Century. He looked for a progressive buyer who would carry on the Burke reputation for incomparable quality, exceptional customer service, committed child development and exemplary safety. Although he knew that his successor would not be a family member, he looked for those same stalwart traits that had escalated the previous three generations of Burkes to great business success—a passionate understanding of integrity, respect, innovation, teamwork, leadership, and performance. His quest led him to Tim Ahern, the next president and CEO of BCI Burke. 

 

When Tim and a group of investors decided to purchase the BCI Burke Company, he was a sales manager with Pfizer, one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world. Although he enjoyed and thrived in the business, Tim always knew he wanted to own and run his own business. Like the Burke family, Tim’s family -- father, grandfather, and great-great grandfather -- had all been successful businessmen leading another well-respected Fond du Lac business, J.F. Ahern, for over 125 years. He was cultured on valuable lessons over the years from his family’s experiences and even worked at the family business while growing up. 

 

Tim became the fourth president/CEO of BCI Burke in July of 1997. Mark Sondergard came on board as Tim’s partner in 1998, after serving as the company accountant for many years.