About Dave

Dave is passionate about big ideas and building communities. He is currently working on building the Delaware Beach area into a sustainable, long-term economy focused on buying from and investing in locally-owned, independent small businesses as well as growing the community of local entrepreneurs.

One component of that effort is Coastal Sussex Weekly, an innovative digital magazine that tells the stories of the Delaware Beaches while promoting local businesses. Additionally, Dave hosts Ignite Sussex, an idea-sharing event that brings together a packed house of community-minded people to listen to presenters share the ideas they are passionate about.

Small business is in Dave Burris’ DNA. His great-grandfather on his father’s side started a small food wholesaling company, which his grandfather grew into Burris Logistics, one of the largest frozen food distributors in the country.

His great-grandfather on his 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.)

His 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 Dave Burris’ fate was sealed from the very beginning. Since 1998, Dave has been an entrepreneur at the Delaware beaches in the fields of real estate, restaurants and media. His former restaurant, R.F. Wheaton’s Chop House & Grill, won the 2001 “Best of Delaware” Best New Restaurant at the Beach award and was rated Three Diamonds by AAA.

Dave is also known as one of Delaware’s leaders in the field of online communication and social media. He advises small business owners, nonprofits, political candidates and chambers of commerce on the use of online services such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

Dave is a former member of the board of directors of Sussex County Habitat for Humanity and a member of the United Way of Delaware’s Young Impact Professionals Society.

Dave Burris, a 12th-generation Delaware native, was born and raised in Milford. He received an excellent education in the Milford public school system, graduating from Milford High School in 1992 before going on to Syracuse University.

Dave lives in Milton with his wife and their two children.