annual sales meeting

Healthy Kids Main Focus of Creating Burke Playgrounds - Factory hosts representatives from across U.S. and Canada

The sluggish economy over the past two years is no match for the unwavering focus of BCI Burke, who welcomed over ninety of its manufacturer’s representatives to Fond du Lac recently for the annual Burke Sales Meeting.

“We are proud to call Fond du Lac our corporate home and feel it is vital to bring our reps here from all over the U.S. and Canada at least once each year to see the people and processes behind the products they are selling,” said Tim Ahern, owner/ CEO.  “We get them in the factory to see our new products and experience where the playground products they talk about every day come to life.”

“There is nothing more valuable for both our Burke team here and our reps to talk face-to-face about how to serve our customers more effectively and fulfill our mission of keeping kids active and healthy,” Ahern added.

The company’s goal of promoting play and physical activity is supported by facts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) with reports that the percentage of overweight children aged 6-11 years has almost doubled since the early 1980's while the percentage of overweight adolescents has risen by nearly 300 percent. They are doing all they can to combat those statistics by continually improving playground offerings that challenge kid’s bodies. 

The three-day sales meeting featured a reception that celebrated the successes of their rep force this past year.  Child’s Play Inc., based in Dallas, TX, received honors in three of the five categories, including the distinguished Rep of the Year.  Top Volume and Top Percent of Quota attainment was also achieved by Child’s Play, making it the first year that all three of these awards were presented to the same business.  

“The Child’s Play team thrives because they are always willing to push themselves and look for better ways to get things done,” said Ahern.  “They ask the hard questions and continually work to serve their customers better and we are elated to partner with them.” 

Buell Recreation, Burke’s partner in Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah and Washington received the Burke Choice Award and the Rookie of the Year.  “The Burke Choice is based on feedback from the Burke team at the factory and Rookie of the Year is given to the most successful group after one full year.  Buell’s efforts in this first year have been outstanding and we are looking for many more years of collaboration with them,” said Ahern.

Burke’s vast array of products are showcased at most schools, parks, churches and child care centers in the city of Fond du Lac, in every state in the U.S. and all around the globe. The company distributes its products through 28 domestic and 9 foreign independent manufacturer representative firms. These companies employ over 100 sales representatives promoting Burke products in the U.S., Canada, England, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Netherlands, Poland, Singapore and Trinidad.

BCI Burke’s coins their business daily focus as “Reinventing Play™.” This continual improvement approach and premium commitment to their customers, as well as designing, building, delivering, and servicing the highest quality product, backed by the best warranty in the industry, will never go out of style.   And this focus will continue to make Burke successful and profitable for many years to come.  For more information, visit www.bciburke.com.
 

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