John W. Barfield Discusses His Autobiography, "Starting From Scratch : The Humble Beginnings of a Two Billion-Dollar Enterprise"

Thu, 05/26/2016 - 10:14am

John W. Barfield is a legendary entrepreneur who is known as a pioneer of corporate America's vital Minority Supplier Development programs. He is the founder of The Bartech Group Inc., a leading workforce management and staffing solutions provider to Global 500 firms. Bartech, based in Southfield, Michigan, employs more than 3,000 people, manages approximately 26,000 contract workers worldwide, and manages approximately $3 billion in contingent labor for its global clients. Bartech was named the Nation's Top Managed Service Provider firm for 2014 by HRO Today, a trade magazine for the contingent workforce Industry.

Join us as John discusses his life and his new autobiography, Starting From Scratch : The Humble Beginnings of a Two Billion-Dollar Enterprise. A book signing will follow and books will be for sale at the event.

The son of an Alabama sharecropper, John W. Barfield dropped out of high school to enlist in the United States Army, serving in Germany and France from 1945-1947. Upon his discharge, he worked as a custodian at the University of Michigan.

In 1954, he and his wife Betty, formed the first of many companies, J & B Cleaning Company (later renamed Barfield Cleaning Company) located in Ypsilanti. John and his wife Betty sold their first business to ITT Corporation in 1969. It was a breakthrough transaction that led to a relationship with General Motors Corporation and a second career as one of the most successful minority suppliers for GM and other companies.

In 1977, Barfield incorporated John Barfield and Associates and by 1984 he had expanded the company and renamed it Bartech Inc. Barfield formed and eventually sold additional businesses, including Barfield Building Maintenance Company and Barfield Manufacturing Company.

As a long time philanthropist and mentor to other entreprenuers, Mr. Barfield has received numerous honors and awards, including The Tree of Life Award, the highest honor of the Jewish National Fund of America; the Michigan Roundtable for Diversity and Inclusion's Humanitarian of the Year Award; and the A.G. Gaston Lifetime Achievement Award from Black Enterprise Magazine.