Jim Buerge: A Man of Tradition

A third-generation resident of Pacific Palisades and keeper of a family business dating back to 1915, Jim Buerge values tradition. So it’s only natural that he would become involved with the town’s most important tradition: the Fourth of July parade. This year, Buerge made the largest individual pledge to the parade’s organizing committee and will serve as the lead presenting sponsor. ‘Buerge Ford/Chrysler/Jeep has supported the parade in a big way at a time of serious need,’ said parade president Rob Weber. ‘The parade is one of the oldest civic traditions in the Palisades, and we are thrilled to now be associated with one of the longest-standing families in town. We graciously thank the Buerge family for helping to keep our wonderful community tradition alive and growing.’ Said Buerge, ‘This is the first year that I was asked to become a lead sponsor. Rob Weber called me and asked if I could help. The parade was struggling. It’s a good cause and I want to keep it going.’ In fact, for the last seven years, the parade has been a big part of Buerge’s life. Every July 4, the Buerges (Jim and his wife, Colleen), whose house is located along Toyopa near where the parade ends, throw the biggest party on the route. ‘[My friends] come to the house and they supply beer and so forth,’ Buerge, 37, said. ‘The father-in-law of one of my best friends comes down from Santa Barbara. We take 30 whole chickens, chop them up, [cook up] chicken, tri-tips and lamb chops. Last year, we had our first outhouse on the side. So we’ll have one or two at the house again.’ Thanks to Buerge’s participation, various new cars will be incorporated into the parade, including the Chrysler Aspen SUV hybrid, and the Dodge Challenge and Viper. The dealership will also be ‘sponsoring and supplying the YMCA with a truck in the parade to put kids in it,’ Buerge said. The life-long Palisadian explained why the parade is especially dear to his heart. ‘My grandparents had a place on Haverford called the Farm. We used to go up to Via [de la Paz] and watch the parade, close to the Methodist church. My father, John, who now lives in Malibu, rode on a horse in the parade.’ Growing up, Buerge was an active member of the Santa Monica Methodist Church and the Santa Monica YMCA. Today, he serves on the boards of the Palisades YMCA and Santa Monica-UCLA Medical Center. A PaliHi graduate, Buerge studied at the Ford/Chrysler College in Detroit. After graduating, he returned to the family business. Located in West L.A. between Bundy and Barrington, Buerge Ford/Chrysler/Jeep is still a family affair. Jim Buerge works as the dealership’s vice president and general manager, and his father, John, is the president. John’s wife, Joy, runs the business office, and his son, J. D., does accounts payable and receivable. Now married for 15 years, Buerge met another Palisadian, Colleen Goodrick, in 1986’but evidently, it wasn’t their first encounter. ‘I met my wife in high school,’ he said, ‘and I went over to her house and her mom said, ‘I’ve seen you somewhere before’ and pulled out photos of us at the Methodist church [in Santa Monica] holding hands. This was news to us.’ Buerge strayed from the Palisades to buy his first house in Encino. But there was something dissatisfying about living there, as well as the three-and-a-half years he spent residing in Santa Monica. ‘Nobody knew their neighbors,’ he said. ‘We talked about moving back to the Palisades,’ Buerge said. ‘For my wife, it was a done deal, but I thought the Palisades was so overpopulated. But as soon as I got up there, I realized that I was wrong.’ When Buerge moved back to town with his family, ‘We were looking at Kagawa. I saw more potential on Toyopa. It never crossed my mind that we’d be on the parade route. We did sent out e-vites, but we said, bring your chairs and so forth. Every year, it grows bigger and bigger. We start cooking right after the race at around 10 a.m. People start showing up around 12:30, 1 p.m. The parade gets to my house about 2:30 p.m. ‘It’s a great day for everybody. My first couple of years, I saw people I hadn’t seen in 20 years.’ There’s a second reason why Toyopa turned out to be great for Buerge. His three children”Caitlin, 10, Tess, 8, and Erin, 5”attend Corpus Christi, ‘so it’s just down the street and makes it convenient. ‘They love the parade,’ Buerge continued. ‘They pick out their red, white, and blue outfits. They’ll sit on the curb and I line up 30 chairs on the grass or in the driveway, and the kids who don’t care play in the back yard on the swing set.’ Seven years and seven Parade barbecues later, what does Buerge think about returning to the Palisades? ‘It’s the best place to live,’ he said. As for the parade, Buerge was glad to receive that call from the parade committee. ‘It’s more of an honor for them to call us and ask us,’ Buerge said. ‘We’ve been in business since 1915. It’s just a way to give back to the community and keep the tradition going.’