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West Scranton resident takes over family car dealership, advocates for reform in mental illness care

Times-Tribune - 8/28/2016

Aug. 28--Though Denise Vitali Burne is small in stature, her presence fills her Wyoming Avenue dealership the minute she walks through the doors.

She greets everyone with a smile or a warm hug as she walks through Matt Burne Honda, the massive dealership that first belonged to her grandfather, the late J.R. Burne, then her father, the late Richard "Dick" Burne, and her brother, the late Matt Burne, who the business is named after.

With long, painted nails, rings on almost every finger and a small script tattoo on her wrist, the president and dealer principal of the business doesn't look like the typical car dealership owner. She also doesn't run her business like a typical big company, even with the brand name of one of the largest automobile companies in the world attached.

"That's the biggest thing for me," said Ms. Burne, who splits her time evenly between residences in West Scranton and Berwyn. "I really resist the corporate push."

To her, Matt Burne Honda is just "the store." That's how she refers to it in conversation and how she looks at the business built up by her grandfather, an Italian immigrant who changed his name from Nicolo Buono to the more Americanized James R. "J.R." Burne, during the Great Depression.

Ms. Burne said even though her grandfather fell into the car business, he succeeded mainly because of his impeccable customer service skills.

"He really knew how to treat people," she said.

Ms. Burne's maternal grandparents were grocers in Tripp Park, and she prides herself on being the product of two Mom-and-Pop businesses. She insists the most important thing about a business is how its customers are treated, and how a business treats the people who come in to work every day.

"My ego is not tied into this business," she said. "I do not measure the success of the store by the bottom line. I measure it by the people that have stepped up and have helped me keep this running for almost 12 years."

Ms. Burne is the first to admit she can't believe she runs her family's company. As the child of a traditional Italian family, it was understood her brother would take over the dealership when he finished college. That didn't bother Ms. Burne, who set her sights on a criminal justice career when she left the area.

She earned a bachelor's degree in criminology from University of Maryland and a master's degree from University of Baltimore. She worked as a probation officer and for the Baltimore mayor before she moved back to Scranton at 28.

"I came home for one year and one year turned into eight years," she laughed.

During her time home, she fell in love with the business, the atmosphere and the ability to see her family every day. She added her own touches, like updating business technology, and found her footing at the dealership she remembered running around in as a child.

"It was really in my blood," she said, adding she was made partner. "My brother graduated (from) Johns Hopkins (University) and came home to run the business and we got to reconnect as adults. Instead of seeing my brother playing Little League, I got to sit across from him in the showroom my family ran. It was really cool.

"(When I left the area), I never thought I would look back," she added. "In hindsight, sometimes the universe knows more than we do."

Ms. Burne married, and while she planned to stay near Scranton, she and her husband had to leave for his broadcast career. As she moved around states, ultimately landing in New Jersey, she kept in touch with her family and active in the dealership from a distance, and started a family of her own, adopting two sons, Nicholas, now 17, and Lucas, now 13.

In 2004, her brother committed suicide at a psychiatric hospital in Arizona, where he was a patient.

Devastated by the loss of her little brother, Ms. Burne knew she must do whatever she could to stop another family from experiencing the same loss, especially at a facility designed to help.

She also wanted to make sure her brother did not die in vain.

She started a nonprofit in 2007, Break the Silence, to create awareness of depression, anxiety and suicide, and serve as a watchdog over inpatient safety at psychiatric hospitals. She became heavily involved in mental health advocacy and served as keynote speaker at suicide awareness events.

In Ms. Burne's opinion, no one should fall through the cracks of the mental health system. Break the Silence empowers patients to advocate for themselves and for their loved ones to do the same for them.

As for the family business, Ms. Burne knew there was only one thing to do: keep moving. She assumed president and dealer principal roles, and she motivated the staff and boosted morale.

"I told my dad, 'We're going to name (the dealership) after Matt,'" Ms. Burne recalled. "'We're going to name it after him and kick some ass and make him proud.'"

A few years later, Ms. Burne's father passed away, she and her husband divorced, and she stepped away from her mental health work to focus on her sons.

While on a hiatus from her work, Ms. Burne said she received another sign from the universe. As she stood on the 24-acre property that belonged to her brother before he died, she imagined the property filled with horses. She never rode a horse in her life, so she brushed off the thought and tucked it away.

One week later, she got word a local nonprofit that offered equine therapy to child victims of abuse, Marley's Mission, searched for land. Ms. Burne saw a way to honor her brother's legacy.

After several obstacles with the initial property, Ms. Burne found the perfect land in Newton Twp., bought the parcel and signed a $1 deed over to Marley's Mission.

Ms. Burne serves on Marley's Mission's board, but acknowledges that while she lives in two separate places, it's difficult for her to put in more work for the organization.

"I wish I was more local," she said. "I want to get my hands more dirty. I miss the opportunity to be involved, but I wanted my children to be close to their dad (near Philadelphia). Once they're less dependant on me, I would love to get more involved."

Ms. Burne keeps in touch with what's going on at Marley's Misson while she juggles single mom duties and her work with the dealership. She stays in near constant communication with work at the dealership when she is away.

Ms. Burne also weaves herself back into work with Break the Silence, and keeps her eyes on why she started in the first place.

"If you are going to treat people that are fragile, you need to be able to protect them from self harm," she said.

Ms. Burne takes care of the people around her, she said, and that's what she wants to be remembered for.

At Matt Burne Honda, Ms. Burne doesn't refer to the staff as "employees," they are her family, and she treats them as such. She strives to keep alive the small business values her family instilled in her and insists no one at Matt Burne Honda is disposable.

"It's a mutual support structure," she said of the dealership. "I have 52 families that depend on this store. They are the ones who keep the lights on. I appreciate the people that have my back and I have their back."

Ms. Burne also preserves her brother's legacy. Small instances and signs give her the feeling she's doing the right things.

After she sold the property to Marley's Mission, she remembered when she and her brother would talk about someday having their own kids. He wanted to buy a house in Newton Twp., with lots of acres for his horses and his children to play on.

"It wasn't until later that I remembered that and it hit me," Ms. Burne said. "He got his acreage in Newton (Twp.) with horses and children."

Contact the writer: gmazur@timesshamrock.com, @gmazur TT on Twitter.

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Meet Denise Vitali Burne

At home: Ms. Burne splits her time between West Scranton and Berwyn, where she lives with her two sons, Nicholas, 17, and Lucas, 13. She is the daughter of Corrine Vitali Burne and the late Richard "Dick" Burne, and has two siblings, Shelley and the late Matt. She is the niece of Marilyn Flynn.

At work: President and dealer principal of Matt Burne Honda

Inspirations: Her children; her brother's legacy; resilient people who rise above challenges, obstacles and the real hardships in life

Aspirations: To guide her children to be productive, independent and kind-hearted; to change hospital licensing guidelines in Arizona dual-diagnonsis facilities.

Diversions: Rollerblading, weight training, decorating, traveling with her children, dancing

Aversions: Poor customer service; arrogance and entitlement; seafood; intolerance and judgement

Quote: "You must do the thing you think you cannot do." -- Eleanor Roosevelt

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