Foundation

STLCC Home » Foundation » Board of Directors » Robert E. Burns

Robert E. Burns

Robert Burns is co-owner and vice president of Patriot Machine Inc., an engineering/manufacturing firm he and his wife founded in 1991. Judy Burns is president of the company, which now has about 65 employees and is located in St. Charles, Mo.

Patriot is on the leading edge of technology in Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAD/CAM). The company’s customers are leaders in the aerospace, automotive and consumer products industries, where quality products with extremely close tolerances are required.

Burns worked at McDonnell Douglas Electronics before deciding to open his own business. He had worked in every phase of the manufacturing process, from the shop floor through Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) programming, quoting and estimating and saw the need for high-tech manufacturing services. The company started in his garage has won a number of awards, including recognition in 2006 by the Military Technical Assistance Procurement program as a world-class company.

While working full time, Burns also has attended school on a part-time basis during every phase of his career. He began taking courses at St. Louis Community College’s Florissant Valley campus in 1978 and received his associate's degree in manufacturing technology in 2000. He continues to take an active interest in the campus. A number of his employees are graduates of the Florissant Valley manufacturing program.

He earned a bachelor's degree in business from Lindenwood University and began to work on an MBA at Washington University.

Burns has served as director of maintenance on the Our Lady of the Rivers Shrine board for almost 20 years. He has also served on the Business Curriculum Advisory Board for STLCC-Florissant Valley and as a member of the Manufacturing/Engineering Education Roundtable Subcommittee of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, Chapter 17.