Hi. I’m Dave. I am passionate about big ideas, local economies, and using technology to make the world better. I live to develop great ideas and put them into practice, and I believe that local independent small businesses and local living economies are the building blocks of a better tomorrow.
I am currently involved with several web-based businesses in Delaware, as well as a major project under development. I also consult with existing businesses on creating and improving their operations and marketing plans, and have been a web publisher (blogs, magazines, newspapers & books) since 2005.
A FAMILY LEGACY
Small business is in my DNA. My great-grandfather on my father’s side started a small food wholesaling company, which my grandfather grew into Burris Logistics, one of the largest frozen food distributors in the country.
My great-grandfather on my mother’s side started a company in New Jersey, Wheaton Brass Works, that was an industry leader in fuel distribution systems for cars. (See a 1920′s-era Wheaton Gas Pump.)
My father took a small tire company and turned it into a multi-state operation before leaving in 1990 to serve for 10 years as the President of the Delaware State Chamber of Commerce.
So my fate was sealed from the very beginning.
ENTREPRENURIAL ADVENTURES
Since 1998, I have been an entrepreneur at the Delaware beaches in the fields of real estate, restaurants, marketing and media. Life as a local business owner hasn’t always been easy, but every day has been rewarding. And the education provided by the experience has been incredibly meaningful.
I have also enjoyed instructing and mentoring in the field of online communication and social media. I have advised local business owners and nonprofits, as well as local business membership organizations on the use of online services such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and on the spirit and mindset of the new economy.
LOCAL SERVICE
My family has a rich history in the Milford, DE-Milton-Lewes area where I live. My ancestors were farmers in Lincoln & Milton and river pilots in Lewes. So I feel strong ties to the area and a calling to serve. I have served my local community as a member of the board of directors of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity, a founding member of Slow Food Delmarva, a member of the United Way of Delaware’s Young Impact Professionals Society and a volunteer soccer coach for the Henlopen Soccer Club.
PUBLIC ACTIVISM
As a public activist, I have been at the forefront of change on issues like transparency in government spending, budget reform and ethics reform. In 2007, I created the Delaware Taxpayer Coalition to lobby for transparency reform in state spending. In addition, I have been published numerous times in the Wilmington News Journal and on various blogs and have made many radio and TV appearances on various public issues.
—
A 12th-generation Delaware native and lover of all things Delaware, Dave Burris was born and raised in Milford, DE and lives outside Milton, DE with his wife and two children.
