Burke Engineering Co. began in 1949 when John “Bud” Burke (1915-1979) started a hobby in his garage manufacturing toggle switches with indicator lights for gravity furnaces. Bud soon realized that he was making more at his hobby than at his “real” job as a contractor. As Bud began to build his customer base, he also realized that contractors needed a one-stop shop for controls and accessories. He borrowed $1100 from a friend and the first branch of the company was born.

Bud grew Burke Engineering Co. at an impressive rate. His son, Gary (1940-2001), soon began working in the business and took over as its President. Bud suddenly passed away in 1979 leaving Gary well prepared to run the business. With Gary’s guidance and pioneering attitude, Burke Engineering Co. took several aggressive steps throughout the 80’s and 90’s which more than doubled the number of warehouses and tripled its sales.

Bold new steps were being pursued in the dawn of the new millennium, when in August of 2001 Gary passed away. Although the loss of Gary was immeasurable, he had begun grooming the next generation for the challenges that awaited them. Today, Kelly Trolia and Craig Burke are active in and own the business. Dan Trolia has been added to our management team. He brings with him ten years of HVAC experience as well as twenty years of management experience. Together, Craig (Secretary/Treasurer), Kelly (CEO/CFO) and Dan (Corporate Sales Manager) have created a strategically planned growth pattern to carry Burke Engineering Co. well into the future.