Explosives industry veteran Burke to retire

Burke

EJ Burke, a 52-year veteran of the explosives industry who spent more than 24 years at Dyno Nobel, will retire in December.

Burke’s most recent role at Dyno Nobel was corporate brand and values ambassador, but he held a number of senior and key roles at the company over the years, including senior vice president of national sales, vice president of industry development for quarries, and general manager for stone.

“While it will be sad to see EJ leave us, I am very happy for him that he has arrived at such a place in his career considering all that he has accomplished with Dyno Nobel and for our customers,” says Braden Lusk, president of Dyno Nobel Americas. “EJ has said that he is ‘privileged to have started his career with the best explosives company in the industry (DuPont at the time) and now end his career with the best explosives company in the industry.”

Burke’s work experience includes general management, sales, marketing and business positions in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, South America and Australia. According to Dyno Nobel, Burke also has extensive experience in human resources and finance. He earned a bachelor of arts from the University of South Carolina.

“EJ, with his unique level of passion, commitment and energy, has been instrumental in refocusing the company’s efforts back on our customers and will always be known for such signature phrases as ‘in the beginning, there was the customer’ and ‘treat everybody, be they a prince or a pauper, with the same respect and care,’” Lusk says. “The customer relationships that EJ has established and strengthened over a long period of time will endure as part of his legacy along with cornerstone achievements such as the establishment of the Quarry and Mining Academies and the Major Customer Health and Safety Forum.”

Burke, who lives in Dallas, plans to spend more time with his family in retirement and take an increased role in his daughter’s disability ministry.

P&Q had the opportunity to visit with Burke during a 2018 interview. Click here to learn more about the industry veteran, including how he got his start in the explosives industry and some of the most significant industry changes he notes from over the last 50 years.