Jack Burford founded Burford Automotive Finishes in 1935.  He began selling automotive paints during the Great Depression in 1929.  He and his friends, Bill Coburn (Coburn Glaze) and Bill Harrah (Harrahs Auto Collection aka National Automobile Museum, Reno, NV) began selling on the Venice pier, doing anything they could possibly do to make a living during the Great Depression.  He found it to be a very lucrative and enjoyable business.  In 1931, he developed and marketed a one-color wipe-on paint product under the name Auto Refinisher.  He was famous – maybe infamous – for demonstrating Auto Refinisher by wiping a big spot in the middle of the hood of a faded vehicle and telling the customer they needed to buy a can to complete the job.  In 1932, Jack quickly realized this could be a legitimate business and began manufacturing paint under the Burford’s® brand.  From there, he began to develop glazes and waxes to compliment his paint line and founded Burford Automotive Finishes in 1935.  As the business grew, many professional users trusted the Burford’s® brand to get the job done.  Hence, the marketing tag line “Car Care the PRO Way”.  Detailers referred to the Burford’s® brand as PRO® Products and a new brand was born.

In 1952, he invited his brother, Ken Burford, and son Frank Bell to join the company.  Jack would continue to be active in the company as he would drive over 100 miles daily round trip from his home to be involved with his son and grandsons and also as an ambassador to the industry until the early 1980s.  BAF Industries and its employees were his pride and joy.  He was beloved by employees as he treated everyone with the kindness, dignity, and respect they deserved.  You only meet a handful of people in your lifetime that are truly genuine and do not have a malicious bone in their body, and Jack Burford was one of those.  Jack passed away in 2000, but his accomplishments are still recognized by the detailing industry, and his legacy was carried on by son Frank who passed away in 2012 and continues on through his grandsons Michael and John.