Honoring a True Industry Pioneer

Herb’s entrepreneurial spirit and love for the business gave him a drive that was unmatched by his competitors. Seeing a clear path ahead, he left no stone unturned, making sure that Burns & Wilcox was represented at every industry event. Herb understood better than anyone that this was a business built on relationships. He even maintained friendships with his competitors.

“When I met him, we were competitors and sat on an advisory board together. When my partner wanted to sell the business, I approached Herb after an event,” said Gary Batten, Principal Advisor, Burns & Wilcox. “The same night I first approached him on buying the business, we shook hands and the business became his.”

Herb found a way to market the company from every angle and saw opportunity in areas that many businesses simply wrote off, such as working with every size of business – no matter if they employed one person or 1,000. Herb’s savvy business mentality, charisma, and drive allowed him to establish long-lasting wholesale relationships, which became the foundational element of the organization’s livelihood.

Focused on sustaining consistent double-digit growth, Herb completed many strategic acquisitions, most notably R.B. Jones, Royal Premium, and Minuteman Adjusters. In 1990, he took the company public on the American Stock Exchange, continuing the positive trajectory.

Following in his father’s footsteps, second-generation leader, Alan Jay Kaufman, acquired the company and took it private in 1996. Herb was thrilled that his legacy would be maintained through his son’s strategic leadership. At the same time, he began weaving a path for the third generation to turn into forthcoming leaders at Burns & Wilcox. Now, his grandson, Danny Kaufman, and his granddaughter, Jodie Kaufman Davis, serve as Kaufman Co-Presidents.

“Often, when I introduce myself to people that I have never met before – from London to California – they tell me of fond memories with him,” said Jodie Kaufman Davis. “My grandfather made a lasting impression on every person he met.”

As a businessman, Herb was a visionary leader with a sense of loyalty that is hard to find today. He built the company on the strength of relationships that continued to deepen over time. Deals that were struck over a handshake have resulted in long-term and mutually profitable partnerships that are still in place to this day. He was a man of his word, and that was never forgotten among friends, colleagues, and clients.

Relationships, philanthropy, and tradition are key tenets of Burns & Wilcox that will remain forever unchanged. Herb believed in sharing his success and was heavily involved in the community, focusing much of his time on education, local charitable initiatives, and serving as the Honorary Consul General of Panama.

“Mr. K” or “Herb” as his friends called him – was a strong judge of character, and that allowed him to hire the right people expeditiously. Inside the organization, employees felt valued and taken care of. Every employee could expect a call from Mr. K on their birthday, he considered this among his most important daily tasks, according to his executive assistant Marilyn Heckel. It was just part of his infectious personality that made everyone want to work with him.

“Herb made you feel like the most important person in the room,” said Alan Barry, Board Member, H.W. Kaufman Group, and former President and COO, Masco Corporation. “As soon as you said ‘Hello’ to Herb you were his friend.” Relationships were meaningful to him, and it was unmistakable.