San Jose, Calif.—After suffering through some difficult times during the past year or so, Burke Industries announced it has completed a successful reorganization from Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The resilient flooring and commercial rubber goods producer had filed for protection under Chapter 11 in June 2001. The reorganization plan included the sale of its Engineered Polymers division which operated plants in Santa Fe Springs, Calif., and Taunton, Mass. The new company will focus on Burke’s core business in flooring and commercial rubber processing with manufacturing facilities in San Jose, Calif., and Eustis, Fla.

“We at Burke are excited that the company has successfully reorganized and emerged with a strong balance sheet,” said Robert Pitman, Burke’s senior vice president and general manager. “The company will have a capital structure that will free-up resources which can be reinvested in the business. “Our employees, customers and vendors were very supportive during this difficult period,” he added, “and our long-term relationships not only survived the process but promoted a successful outcome.” “We are very pleased to help with the restructuring of Burke,” said Matthew Kaufman, managing direc tor of GSC Partners, the new majority shareholder of the company.

“We look forward to working closely with Burke’s management team to enhance the company’s competitive position.” Burke’s flooring division had been based on a dominant West Coast position in resilient rubber flooring until the acquisition of the Mercer Products Co. in 1998. The union of the two created BurkeMercer Flooring Products, offering a complete line of resilient flooring including rubber and vinyl wall base, stair treads, tile and transitional moldings. In addition to the manufacturing plants in California and Florida, Burke also operates a distribution warehouse in Santa Fe Springs, Calif. BurkeMercer products are sold by more than 200 wholesalers nationwide. Burke’s Custom Process division operates out of the San Jose facility and focuses on quality development, mixing and processing of rubber formulations to a diverse group of customers from commercial to aerospace and defense industries, concluded Pitman. For additional information on Burke and its products, call 800/669-7010. —Louis Iannaco