Burns Bros. tackles Syracuse's biggest jobs

CNY Business Journal (1996+), Jun 01, 2007 by Palmateer, Paige

SYRACUSE - "We pretty much fly under the radar," says David S. Burns, referring to the few media interviews he has granted to discuss Burns Bros. Contractors, Inc., his Syracuse-based mechanical-contracting firm.

Burns says that Burns Bros. Contractors has evolved into one of the largest full-service mechanical contracting companies in the Northeast, after being founded in 1901 as a plumbing, heating, and contracting business that also sold heating and plumbing supplies.

"The Burns Bros. [name] derives from my grandfather, John R. Burns, and his brother, T. H. Burns," Burns says. "They ran the company until 1945, when my father, Thomas R. Burns, and his cousin, Jack Burns, took over the business, and after operating together for six months decided to split the company."

Jack Burns founded Burns Supply and specialized in plumbing and heating supplies. Thomas R. Burns retained the name Burns Bros. and turned his portion of the business into a full-service mechanical contracting and industrial-supply company, David S. Burns says.

Burns, current president and CEO of Burns Bros. Contractors, has been a full-time employee for 41 years. Prior to 1966, he worked summers at the company.

"I became CEO in 1972," Burns says. "I think our primary focus and goal has been to stay within the area of our expertise and make sure we meet the customer's highest expectations."

Burns says that established relationships with customers have led to 30 percent of customers being repeat clients.

Burns Bros. Contractors focuses on large commercial, industrial, and institutional projects. The contracting company tries to complete. as many projects in New York State as possible, though Burns will leave the territory for a loyal customer.

"We vary our territory depending on particular projects and if we have specific expertise for a project," Burns says. "Historically, we've gone to a lot of different places in the country and the world."

For example, Burns Bros. Contractors has completed projects in Virginia, New Jersey, and overseas. The industrial supplier has also sold fabrication equipment to plants in Texas, China, and South America, Burns says.

Currently, Burns Bros. Contractors is heavily involved in the mechanical construction process at the Northeast Biofuels plant in Fulton. The company is also doing the first phase of mechanical construction at the Carousel Center expansion and just finishing a major project at St. Lawrence University.

Other current projects are ongoing at manufacturer Marietta in Cortland and at Corning Glass.

Past projects include the installation of process piping at the Anheuser-Busch facility in Baldwinsville.

Burns Bros. Contractors attracts clients in a wide range of industries including general manufacturingi pharmaceutical, food and beverage, health care, educational, and chemical.

Other local clients include St. Joseph's Hospital Health Center, Crouse Hospital, Community General Hospital,, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Clarkson College, Syracuse University, and Colgate University.

Burns declined to disclose annual revenue or revenue growth and says he considers the company's growth to be " ... more in products and capability than revenues."

The Central New York Business Journal estimates that the company generates about $75 million in annual revenue.

Burns Bros. Contractors is a d/b/a of Burns Industrial Service Co. - a privately owned C corporation.

Burns Bros. Contractors is located in a 100,000-squarefoot facility at 400 Leavenworth Ave. in Syracuse. The company moved to its current headquarters in 1964 from a location across the street.

"When we moved in we only filled a little corner of the building," Burns says. "We could use another 100,000square-foot addition right now."

After expanding steadily over the years, Burns says he has options to meet the needs of the company as far as additional facility space is concerned. He declined to provide further details.

Burns Bros. Contractors has competitors in each area of services it provides, but no competitor with the same combination of services, Burns says.

The company has several branch offices - a fabrication facility at 71 Spencer St. in Syracuse, an office in Potsdam, and an office in Plattsburgh.

Burns Bros. Contractors also has subsidiary companies - Burns Bros. Process Group and Modular BioPharm Systems. The former was established in 1904 as a mechanical-process systems provider for the pharmaceutical and food and beverage industries.

Burns Bros. Process Group has two Upstate locations and 41,500 square feet of fabrication space.

Modular BioPharm Systems (MBS) that supplies fabricated process systems to the pharmaceutical, food, and beverage industries. MBS's primary products are transfer panels, formulation systems, and other support systems, built in the Syracuse and Potsdam fabrication facilities.

Burns Bros. has a joint-venture partnership with DeWitt-based Feldmeier Equipment, Burns says. Established in 1952, Feldmeier Equipment manufactures vessels for the pharmaceuticals and food industry with five locations in New York, Alabama, Nevada, and Iowa and 325,000 square feet of manufacturing facilities.