PPB September 2021

Since joining his family business in 1986, Barker has always had a strong interest in technology and how it can enhance creative design and branding potential. The pandemic only propelled the use of tech, and Barker teamed up with Barker Specialty’s Director of Marketing Amy Serrano, CAS, who was recognized as a 2019 PPB Rising Star; Director of Sales Alex Bowen and Max, who represents the family’s third generation in the distributorship, to break into the world of Clubhouse, an invitation-only social media application that allows users to chime in and out of, and participate in, live conversations about any number of topics that are taking place around the world. Together with Max’s son, Harrison Barker—representing the fourth generation—this group leads a conversation on the app known as “The Swag Shop,” where they discuss industry- and tech- related topics. Barker also isn’t afraid to consider a new experience or tool if he feels it may pose an advantage to his business or provide personal growth. The year prior to attending business school at the University of Chicago, he spent a year teaching English to high school students living in the Samoan rainforest, while living in a hut in a small village, side by side with his students and their families. It was an experience that broadened his perspective of the needs of humanity and the humility that comes with living in close proximity to others. When chatter of NFTs grew louder amongst the general public, he realized that, as the owner of a promotional products distributor—which includes an office in Orlando, Florida, and sister businesses, Barker Character Comic and Cartoon Museum (BCCCM) and Barker Art Animation Galleries, located on the company’s 10-acre office park—not only did NFTs offer the potential for brands to convey truly meaningful, lasting and unique messages that align with modern-day tech trends, but also for special moments, like graduations or weddings, to be forever preserved and cherished, and for artists to sell their creative works in a potentially lucrative, new way as well. “It was very easy to think that NFTs were synonymous with artwork, but that really isn’t the case,” says Barker. “What I believe is that artwork provided an easier way for people to start understanding NFTs. Many artists would say, ‘no, NFTs are only about art and this is what we’re sticking with,’ but I saw a greater vision for how NFTs could be used Gloria and Herb Barker, Gerry's parents, founded Barker Specialty Co. together in 1951, shortly after they married. The Allied Bus Company ruler is regarded as an important artifact to the Barker family and the history of Barker Specialty Co. Rudolph Pick, Gerry’s maternal grandfather, owned the Allied Bus Company in Manhattan and told his daughter and her husband, Gloria and Herb Barker, that tangible advertising would be the future of marketing—and this was back in the ’40s. Since joining his family business in 1986, Barker has always had a strong interest in technology and how it can enhance creative design and branding potential. | SEPTEMBER 2021 | 69 THINK