Maxine Burton - Board of Directors Member

Since 1982, as founder and president of Flowers, Inc. Balloons, Maxine Burton has established her company as a leader in the balloon industry. Based on her idea that a balloon could be a greeting card, Burton was instrumental in the development of balloon use throughout the floral industry. Through her diligence, Flowers, Inc. Balloons has become the largest supplier of balloons and related gift items in the United States, employing more than 350 people with customers in more than 90 countries. In 2000, she expanded the company to include the Burton & Burton line of home décor accessories.

Burton is an active member of the community, serving on numerous civic and charitable boards, economic development committees and community development organizations. She is also active in many professional organizations. Currently, she is a member of the Committee of 200, the Society of International Business Fellows (Class of 1999), the Women’s Leadership Board of Harvard Business School and the Development Authority of the Unified Government of Athens-Clarke County Georgia. In addition she has been appointed and re-appointed by the Governor of Georgia to the Georgia Ports Authority, serves as Chairman of the International Trade Development Committee and also serves on the Finance, Accounting and Audit Committee. She is a member of the executive committee for the University of Georgia Alumni Association and serves on the board of directors for the St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation and First American Bank and Trust.

A resident of Athens, Georgia, Burton attended Gainesville College and later transferred to the University of Georgia where she earned a B.S. and a M. Ed. She has continued her education at Harvard Business School, taking executive courses in 1998 (Women Leading Business: An Executive Forum) and 2001 (E-B2B Roadmaps at Harvard).