During his tenure at Fortifiber, Barker oversaw the introduction of numerous flooring products, including Accord, Aquabar, HWD-15, Seekure and FortiFlash 40.
“There’s been more and more innovation all the time,” he said of the changes he’s seen in the industry since entering it in 1977 with Georgia-Pacific, where he worked for 22 years before joining Fortifiber.
His parting words of advice for the industry about what he’s learned? Read the directions.
“Don’t take shortcuts,” Barker said. “Install the floor correctly so you don’t have any problems.”
Barker has had lot of highlights in his career (including meeting legendary pilot Chuck Yeager while traveling), but one aspect of working in the industry has stood out to him: “The best part of it is the people that I met in the industry. It’s been fun.”
