After decades of service in helping maintain the Region’s Lawns and Gardens, Burke’s Outdoor Equipment is celebrating the completion of a major renovation to their storefront, a brand new state-of-the-art facility at 745W US Highway 30 Valparaiso designed and built by Chester Inc. Architectural & Construction Services.
The building features an eye-catching red design, complemented by a black stripe and grey accents, and dramatically expands the available space for storage and the showroom allowing for a more comfortable experience for shoppers.
Burke’s hosted a grand re-opening and open house on Saturday morning, showcasing their array of lawnmowers, snow blowers, chainsaws, and more from companies such as Gravely, Ariens, Toro, and Echo.
“The Burke’s opened in 1965 and built this into a thriving business,” said Dave Brown, owner of Burke’s Outdoor Equipment. “For us to take that platform and build on it, and get to this point where the building is now open is fantastic. We knew we had the customer base there for this because there’s a trust built by our employees who will do whatever it takes to make things right for our customers.”
Brown purchased Burke’s Outdoor Equipment in 2020, aiming to continue the founding family’s legacy of quality customer service and helping the business reach its full potential. For that, he knew he would need more space – and he knew no one better than Chester Inc. to help him get the job done, he said.
“Having grown up in Valpo, and been back for the last 20 years, I’ve seen what Chester’s built in the market,” he said. “We were looking for the best design/build firm in the area, a company that would take us from A to Z and give us the complete package. It was a no-brainer that it would be Chester.”
Chester Inc. is a design/build firm, meaning they handle every aspect of a building’s construction in-house – from planning and architecture to coordinating a ribbon cutting. Brown’s father used to consult with Chester back when co-founder Orville Redenbacher was with the company, so he grew up with a connection to the company.
That connection deepened when he met Tony Hart, Chester Inc. CSD sales engineer, and point man for the new facility, as it turned out that they shared the same varsity football coach. Brown worked with the Chester team step by step to complete his dream facility, a dream he noted was brought to life with exacting detail.
“I just can’t say enough good things, and the proof is in the pudding when you see this building,” he said. “I had a vision and Chester was able to execute that vision. Getting to know Tony and the rest of the team just verified my opinion of who Chester is and the type of work that they do. Through all of that, I built friendships with a few of the Chester team. It’s been an amazing experience, any time I have a problem or need to talk to somebody I never have to wait more than 10 minutes.”
Hart praised it as one of the most visually impressive buildings Chester has worked on, built to draw eyes to one of the most trafficked roads in the Region.
“It attracts your eyes as you’re driving by, and Dave wanted it to have a lot of natural light so there’s a lot of glass in the front,” he said. “The color scheme, with the red and greys and black stripes really make for an impressive presence when you come over the hill on Route 30, it really draws your attention.”
Representatives from the top brands on offer at Burke’s were on hand at the open house, offering customers advice and information about the latest and greatest machines. Brett Hoover, district sales manager for Ariens and Gravely, two prominent brands owned by AriensCo, was one of them – noting that the relationship between Burke’s, Ariens, and Gravely stretches back to the late 1960s.
“Every time I drive by this building I saw ‘wow,’” Hoover said. “It’s truly a breathtaking building, Chester really knocked it out of the park, out of this world. The color scheme, the design – half of the building lets the doors roll up and it lets the people driving by feel like they’re part of the building because you can see inside, see all of the machines. It’s incredible, and in terms of outdoor power equipment dealerships this is probably the best.”
To learn more about Burke’s Outdoor Equipment, visit www.burkeslawn.com. For more information on Chester Inc, see www.chesterinc.com.
