Mr. Barker’s professional background in retail management included 14 years of work with Sav-On Drugs, Wal-Mart and Dollar General. He had P&L responsibility for multi-million dollar operations. He is currently the Associate Director of the Office of Business Relations in the College of Business at USU. He oversees the Partners in Business and Shingo prize programs. The Partners in Business program coordinates seven professional educational seminars each year on a variety of business topics. The Shingo Prize for Excellence in Manufacturing is an award recognition program that promotes world-class manufacturing and recognizes companies that excel in the application of world-class practices to achieve superior customer satisfaction and results. The Shingo Prize currently recognizes companies in Canada, the United States and Mexico.

In his current position as Associate Director, he has participated in over a dozen comprehensive site evaluation visits to companies that have challenged for the Shingo Prize. He oversees the creation, printing and distribution of over 250,000 publication pieces a year. With the help of his staff he coordinates training events throughout the country including a one-week annual conference and awards ceremony. Mr. Barker also teaches classes in Human Resource Management and Marketing for the College of Business.

Mr. Barker received a B.S. degree in Marketing with a minor in Economics from Utah State University in 1984 and an MBA with an emphasis in Entrepreneurship in 1999.

Mr. Barker spent his childhood in the Philippines where he lived for thirteen years (1965-1978). He speaks the national language of the Philippines, Tagalog, fluently. At the age of fifteen he began his working career. His first job was as a wrangler at a ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He would fly back to the States from the Philippines and work the summer returning home in August each year. He also worked other cattle ranches in Wyoming. In 1978, the same year he returned to the States permanently, he worked on a commercial fishing boat in Florida. Other jobs during college included work for Del-Monte Corp., E.A.Miller Beef, and Trans-Western Airlines.

In his spare time, he volunteers service with scouts and his local church. Much of his time is spent following his children’s sports games. He enjoys most outdoor activities including skiing, snowboarding, camping, tennis and anything else his kids can come up with. He enjoys golf regardless of the score. He lives in Providence, Utah with his wonderful wife Julie and three kids.