History
Artech Church Interiors in Woodbury, Connecticut, is a 4th generation Church Restoration and Church Renovation company. Artech’s roots began in Holland with Tom Burns’ great-grandfather, Joannes Hamers, as a liturgical goods fabricator and dealer serving the local Parishes in the Netherlands. Joannes’ son, Adriaan Hamers and bride Matilda and their two daughters, moved to America in the 1940’s and began serving Manhattan and beyond with exquisite chalices and appointments from the old world along with new creations. The Hamers’ son-in-law, Joe Burns, began selling Church furnishings and eventually, the Burns family moved the business to Connecticut. Tom began working with his father in the mid-1980’s.
Our Founder
Under the leadership of Tom Burns (Tommy), the 4th generation in his family serving the Church goods industry, Artech was founded in the fall of 1992. Our team has over 30 years experience working on more than 5,000 churches, Artech’s portfolio of services expanded from selling pews and chairs to include full renovations and an expansive product line of goods and furnishings to serve houses of worship and landmark buildings.
Artech grew to become a preeminent restoration choice for building renovations and preservation services for houses of worship in New England and the Mid-Atlantic. In late 2022, Tommy lost a brief but valiant battle with a rare and very aggressive form of cancer. In Tom, the Artech and Burns families lost a great man and visionary leader.
As a man of faith, entrepreneur, and owner of Artech, Tom fulfilled his passion of restoring houses of worship “to ensure that people of all denominations had a beautiful and welcoming place to do just that, worship.” Prior to his passing, Tommy, and his loving wife of nearly 30 years, Kimberly, planned for Artech to continue to operate and thrive with no impact on its partners, clients, and friends. Kim remains very active in the ongoing management of the company, as its President, as well as continuing to honor and fulfill her late husband’s vision for the business. A solid management team of tenured professionals are in place dedicated to that vision and mission in support of Kim and their four sons.
The Future
Artech’s Vision remains focused on places of worship of all denominations. It is also dedicated to the preservation of historical buildings within and beyond the category of worship. Artech is focused on continuing to develop products, services, and solutions for its clients as they adapt to changes in technology, worship styles, architecture, and other challenges that come with the stewardship of aging and historic buildings. Artech is a true partner to its clients and remains fully committed to the success of every project and institution that we serve.
