Michael Burch refers to himself as a relationship builder, because he has always seen himself as helping other people and solving problems, which is his main goal in life. He was born and raised in a diverse neighborhood in Northeast Portland with his parents, older brother and sister. He won lots of trophies playing baseball. In high school instead of being drafted he signed up for the Air Force reserves and was on active duty for 8 months. When a high school counselor left a scar on his soul by telling him he wasn’t college material, he set out to prove her wrong. He went to University of Oregon on the 3% program (being admitted on a trial basis) and wound up earning his way onto the Presidents honor roll for his first two years. He then got the opportunity to go back to his community and recruit others for the program, which he found very rewarding.
He graduated from college and went to law school for a year until he ran out of funds and headed back home to Portland. He became very frustrated at how hard it was for him to find an entry-level job that paid a living wage. His parents had both struggled with substance and alcohol abuse, so he was predisposed to it. Burch ended up going through a “bad period” for about fifteen years until one day when he’d had enough he went to get help at Hooper Detox Center for two weeks. When given the opportunity for additional treatment he opted for it using the service connection to attend C.A.R.S., Chemical Addition Recovery Services on the base in Vancouver, Washington. While there his counselor asked him what work he had done in his past that was the most rewarding. He thought back to when he was recruiting people to attend college and decided to go back to that kind of work. He worked at and ran various youth programs, where he helped those who had not completed high school get through it and find a career while staying out of trouble and away from drugs and alcohol. Burch believes in today’s youth because to him they are the future and he thinks sometimes people judge them too quickly based on appearance. He calls himself a relationship builder because he is willing to work with anyone and loves making connections with people of all walks of life. He has a basic belief in the goodness of human beings.
From colleagues to family members, there are many people in his life that have had positive influences on him. He said two people Doug Tweedy and Ron Robbins, whom he has known since early in 2000, are the best kind of human beings possible. He remarked about how Tweedy and Robbins both always treat everyone equally and with respect regardless of their position or authority. His sister Pat has also influenced him because of her perpetual support and lack of judgment, his second wife of almost 20 years Karen, has shared a lot of his ups and downs, while being supportive and his oldest daughter Michelle because she is very kind and always sees the best in people first. He also said seeing the birth of his youngest daughter Whitney changed him in ways nothing else ever has. It is a wonderful and beautiful event to witness. His adopted brother Paul also had a huge influence on him growing up. His values seem to stem from his faith in Christ and the positive influences in his life. Burch believes that everyone should be treated with respect, first. He said honesty and integrity are very important to him as well as treating others the way you want to be treated.
Being clean for almost twenty years, being able to think and act clearly and being comfortable in his own skin are his greatest accomplishments. He also said being present today to help raise his three daughters is an accomplishment. Outside of his rewarding job, Burch loves drag racing, fishing, reading for fun and relaxation and also eating seafood.