Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 21 things like this. I just go to work.” Barber has always gone to work. From his first paying job as a waiter at Denny’s to his current stint as the founder and Chief Executive Officer of Barberitos and Barberitos Franchising Inc., he has always made forward progress a priority. Like many young people, he worked hard in school while still finding time to have a little fun along the way, including attending many nights at the cinema where he explored his love of movies. It is quite telling that two of his favorite movies are Forrest Gump and Hoosiers, as each movie presents views he adapts in his business life. Similar to Forrest Gump, Barber’s experiences have been ‘like a box of chocolates’ and these adventures have led him to the success he’s had today. Barber’s experience began with the influence of his mother and her desire to feed her family healthy yet savory food. It was this experience that would later inspire Barber to share this concept with his future burrito-loving customers. Like many young people, Barber graduated from high school and applied to college. Valdosta State University became his home away from home for the next four years while he worked through what that latter purpose would look like. At VSU, after exploring several options, he decided on business as his major, focusing on marketing as he thought it would give him the best opportunity to succeed. While in that major, he realized that his true passion lay in entrepreneurship. In 1995, Barber earned his Bachelor of Arts in Marketing and then applied to Mercer University in pursuit of a master’s degree. Within two years, he added an Master in Business Administration to his accomplishments, but after two degrees, he wanted some time to himself and decided to travel the country. Traveling throughout the Southwest gave Barber an opportunity to experience local cuisine and, consequently, develop a passion for the food. As Downing traveled, he noticed the growing number of fast food restaurants that populated communities, emphasizing convenience over healthy options and cheap instead of fresh ingredients. This observation made him wonder why people couldn’t have it all: convenient and healthy options that consisted of inexpensive and fresh ingredients. S P R I N G 2 0 1 7 21