Denise Burgess
President and General Manger
Burgess Services Inc.???
Denver, Colo.
For Denise Burgess, succeeding in a male-dominated industry is not about becoming one of the boys, but about ?taking the time to learn about your business and being true to yourself.? Burgess is the president and general manager of Burgess Services, Inc., a construction management, commissioning and quality assurance/quality control firm that her late father, Clyde J. Burgess, started as a heating and air conditioning company in 1974, making 2014 the company?s 40th anniversary. Upon her father?s death in 2002, Denise took the helm of the company and turned it into the nationally renowned construction management firm that it is today, leading its engineers and managers under the banner of commitment to quality for customers. Among those customers are the Denver International Airport and the Denver Justice Center.? ?I have a great staff that has driven my success,? Burgess says.
A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado with a bachelor?s degree in journalism and business, Burgess began her career in advertising and sales at a local radio station, KS10.75, and subsequently managed a radio station in San Diego, Calif. She returned to Denver to support her father?s marketing efforts, stayed on to learn more about the industry, and ultimately began to build on his legacy. She wants to be remembered, above all, for the quality of her work as head of Burgess Services. ?It should not be about being a minority or female-owned contractor, but simply because we did great work,? she says.
Burgess is deeply involved in the Denver business community through various volunteer positions she has assumed. She was appointed to the Denver Urban Renewal Authority?s board of commissioners and became its chairwoman in 2009. Most recently, Burgess was named co-chairman of the Construction Empowerment Initiative/Disparity Task Force for the Minority Business Enterprises/Women?s Business Enterprises ordinance of the City of Denver.
