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Getting Personal

Getting Personal with John Burrell, Estimator at Landry/French

WHERE DID YOU GROW UP.
I grew up in Cumberland, ME, less than a mile from Greely High School and a couple hundred feet from Val Halla Golf Course. My mother and father moved my sister and me to Cumberland in 1974 and I lived there until I graduated from college. It is still a great neighborhood. My wife and I used to take the kids there for trick or treating.

WHAT DID YOU DO AFTER HIGH SCHOOL.
After high school, I attended the University of Maine at Orono and studied Construction Management. I graduated first in my major after 5 years with some fabulous teachers. I got my first job after graduation with Alliance Construction, working out of the building at 160 Pleasant Hill Road in Scarborough. Yes, the same building that Landry French now occupies.

FAMILY.
My wife Patricia and I each have three children. Tricia is a Registered Nurse working for Martin’s Point in Brunswick. Bethany is a CNA at Maine Medical Center and Mercy Hospital. She is married and lives in Limington. Zackery will graduate from the University of Maine this Spring with a degree in construction management. Samantha is completing her second year at the University of Maine studying Graphic Design. Colline is completing her first year at the University of Maine at Machias studying education. Adam is in the eighth grade at Greely Middle School and loves to play golf. Lauren is in seventh grade at Greely Middle School and loves horseback riding and animals. We also have my mother living in the apartment above our garage. We keep an eye on her and her animals, unless she’s at the casino all night, and she helps us get the younger kids to their activities.

FAVORITE PLACE TO TRAVEL.
My wife and I love the Sarasota Bradenton area of Florida. The beaches are wonderful and the shopping is excellent. There are also many fabulous golf courses in the area. My wife and I enjoy going out and playing nine or eighteen holes together. We have many older friends from Cumberland that winter/live in the area including one of our neighbors. The last two years I have traveled to this area in November to play in golf tournament. We would love to purchase a condo in the area for when we retire.

HOBBIES.
Golf, Golf, Golf. I grew up playing baseball, hockey and golf. We lived close enough to the golf course that I would play almost every day growing up. Other kids went to summer camp at the school, I went to the golf course. Now I get to the golf course at least two times a week to play during the summer, including some golf with my wife. During the fall I coach the JV golf team at Greely High School. This coming fall I get to coach my stepson Adam. Hockey was a big part of my life growing up, I traveled all over New England playing hockey. I was always a little too short, and a little heavy to play beyond high school, but I try to play whenever I can. My fellow Greely hockey alumni get together every spring for a couple of hockey games. We usually raise a little money for an alumnus in need. Always a great time, with beverages before, after, or sometimes during the games.

SOMETHING WE MAY NOT KNOW ABOUT YOU.
I am an avid golfer who has competed in the Maine Amateur Golf Tournament several times. I have only finished in the top 40 once. I also enjoy woodworking, and building. I’ve built additions, sheds, installed roofing and siding, installed doors, and trim for anyone who wants something done, but doesn’t have the skill set. Each year I build something new for Val Halla Golf Course to replace something at the course or add to the course. If you have been in the banquet center, that white speaker’s podium is something I built. This spring I have built four new divot mix boxes for the par three tees.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU RETIRE.
My wife and I would like to split time between Maine and Sarasota Florida. We both enjoy playing golf, and the beach. We are sure grandchildren are in the future, and we both would enjoy being able to take care of them, play with them, and then hand them back to their parents. Really looking forward to having the kids deal with their own kids and say, ‘They are just like you’ or ‘you didn’t listen either when you were their age.’


The people that are working at Landry French are great to work with. There is a lot of collaboration throughout the company. I have worked for companies in the past where you are the only one on an island, no one to bounce ideas off of or ask for someone’s opinion on an item. Everyone at Landry French works really hard and enjoys the work. Something that I think sets the company apart is that Landry French also wants you to have and enjoy your family life. While hard work is demanded, having fun is also a part of the culture. Noontime cornhole games, BBQ’s at the job sites and office, a company outing for all to enjoy, it’s a great place to work.