Burgerville operates 39 restaurants and employs 1,500 people in Washington and Oregon.

The company has capitalized on its Northwest connection by forming partnerships with regional companies, such as Country Natural Beef in Vale, Ore.; Riverpoint Farms in Walla Walla; Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook, Ore.; Portland-based Yo-Cream International Yogurt; and the region’s growing wind power industry.

Burgerville’s parent company, The Holland Inc., was founded in 1926 as a Vancouver creamery.

The year 1961 marked the dawn of Camelot in Washington, D.C., the launch of the Apollo space program in Houston and the birth of the station wagon in Detroit.

It was also the year Burgerville USA started up in Vancouver.

As the 39-restaurant chain looks back on its first half-century in business, President and CEO Jeff Harvey is working to position Burgerville for its next 50 years.

The company’s focus on fresh, local food and social consciousness has helped it win a dedicated following. But restaurant experts warn the Vancouver-based company faces stiff competition this year from national burger-sellers moving into the Pacific Northwest.

“Some of the big boys are coming, and they’re coming in fast,” said Bill Hayden, a Portland-based restaurant adviser and owner of Northwest Consultants.