John Burris

John Burris offers a solid management background in business, government, trade associations and public policy organizations.

About John:

BUSINESS SUCCESS

1971-1988 Built a small, local tire and truck repair company into a three-state, $13 million operation.

1971-2010 A Senior Vice President of Burris Logistics, John helps to steer one of the nation’s largest frozen food distributors.

2003-2010 In the exciting field of medical technology, John is the Chairman & CFO of MediGuide Worldwide, LLC

STATE GOVERNMENT SUCCESS

1976-1982 First Republican elected to the Delaware House of Representatives in 20 years from the 36th District. Became Minority Leader within two years and Majority Leader in 1979, serving until 1982 when he returned to private business.

Legislative Accomplishments:

  • Led the floor fight to save Chrysler in 1980 – retaining 3,500 jobs for Delaware
  • As Majority Leader, helped secure passage of the Financial Center Development Act, which brought the state over 45,000 jobs.
  • As an elected official and as president of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce, led the cut in the personal income tax rate from 19.8% in 1976 to 5.95% in 2000.

ASSOCIATION SUCCESS

1990-2000 As president of the Delaware State Chamber, with help from 3,200 member companies, dramatically changed the role of the Chamber from strictly business advocacy to leadership in education improvement, environmental stewardship, quality of life and strong public policy advocacy. Conducted serious efforts on behalf of health care reform, job growth and infrastructure enhancement.

PUBLIC POLICY SUCCESS

1990-2000 John created and led as president the Delaware Public Policy Institute, which initiated numerous public policy projects dealing with water and wastewater, education, health care, land use, economic growth and many other issues. The Institute’s publications include the highly critically acclaimed How Delaware Compares, an annual report on where Delaware ranks versus other states in 250 categories.

POLITICAL SUCCESS

1976-2000 John Burris has won four of six elections and has had significant impact on many of the major issues that have confronted Delaware over the past 24 years. He has raised over $5 million for these campaigns and has a deep understanding of the political/electoral process and issue development methods.