Burton's New R&D Facility In Vermont
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BURLINGTON,
VT
(January
13,
2011)
Today,
over
300
Vermont-based
employees
of
Burton
Snowboards,
members
of
Burton’s
pro
team,
media
and
friends
gathered
at
the
company’s
new
state-of-the-art
prototype
facility
to
officially
open
and
dedicate
the
space
to
the
late
snowboard
icon
Craig
Kelly.
By
far
the
most
sophisticated
R&D
facility
Burton
has
ever
built,
the
new
space
is
simply
called
‘Craig’s’
and
is
located
right
next
door
to
Burton’s
global
headquarters
in
Vermont.
Craig’s
is
where
Burton
can
take
rider
feedback,
build
a
prototype
with
homegrown
custom
machinery
and
then
take
it
on
snow
the
very
next
day.
“Craig
Kelly
was
an
engineer
at
heart,
and
one
of
the
big
reasons
he
chose
to
ride
for
Burton
back
in
the
late
eighties
was
because
he
saw
how
committed
we
were
to
R&D
and
taking
snowboard
technology
to
the
next
level,”
said
Jake
Burton,
Founder
and
CEO
of
Burton
Snowboards.
“During
the
15
years
that
he
rode
for
Burton,
Craig
had
a
huge
impact
on
snowboard
design,
technology
and
the
sport
as
a
whole.
So
it
was
an
easy
decision
to
name
the
new
prototyping
facility
after
him.
I
think
that
Craig
would
be
proud
that
every
new
board
that
comes
out
of
our
new
R&D
space
reflects
his
spirit
and
legacy.”
With
over
10,000
square
feet
and
housing
the
best
of
Burton’s
high-end,
custom-built
machinery,
Craig’s
represents
a
huge
investment
in
snowboard
R&D.
Although
capable
of
producing
thousands
of
snowboards,
Craig’s
is
purely
dedicated
to
R&D
and
will
only
build
a
handful
of
experimental
snowboards
a
day.
At
Craig’s,
Burton
engineers
can
experiment
with
new
ideas
and
feedback
that
constantly
flow
into
Burton
from
pro
riders,
engineers,
dealers
and
customers.
Not
only
can
Craig’s
create
a
new
board
in
a
matter
of
hours,
there’s
also
a
rapid-prototype
machine
that
allows
engineers
to
build
a
plastic
binding
part
overnight
and
test
it
on
snow
the
next
morning.
Craig’s
also
features
a
machine
shop,
so
engineers
can
create
and
test
custom
tooling
parts
and
manufacturing
processes,
which
is
critical
to
evolving
Burton’s
manufacturing
techniques
around
the
world.
After
today’s
dedication,
Craig’s,
which
is
located
at
152
Industrial
Parkway
in
Burlington,
Vermont,
will
be
open
to
the
public
for
scheduled
tours.
During
these
tours,
visitors
can
check
out
the
whole
R&D
facility
by
following
‘Craig’s
Trail’
to
watch
Burton
development
in
the
making.
Craig’s
Trail
will
also
lead
visitors
to
’The
Barn’
where
people
can
take
a
self-guided
tour
of
archived
photos,
products
and
videos
from
the
first
30
years
of
Burton’s
history.
Inspired
by
Burton’s
original
Burton
Manchester
offices
and
featuring
its
actual
original
sign,
the
Barn
is
a
key
hallmark
of
the
new
facility.
Finally,
Craig’s
features
a
walk-up
warranty
window,
where
Riders
can
bring
their
gear
and
interface
directly
with
Burton’s
warranty
crew.
To
learn
more
about
Craig’s,
stop
by
for
a
visit
and
check
out
this
video: