Gene joined “Barker Blueprint” in 1979 and worked in every phase of the business over the next ten years, holding VP positions in operations and sales before becoming President in 1989 and CEO in 1991. Gene has always led the company to be on the leading – and sometimes bleeding – edge of new technology. BarkerBlue was the first company in Northern California to completely eliminate the ammonia blueprint process in favor of electronic plans in the 1990s. BB was also the first to offer an online planroom, in 2000. In 2001, he purchased the historic Rolladium building in San Mateo, and proceeded to pour close to $3m in leasehold improvements to convert it into BarkerBlue’s high-bandwidth, all-digital headquarters. Having launched the firm’s wide-format digital color print business in 1995, Gene has expanded the firm’s offerings to include a complete display graphics offering, including project management, production, and installation. Gene has a BA in English Literature from Stanford University. He was a founding director of ReproMAX in 2000 and served as the organization’s chairman in 2005 and 2013. He is a member of AIIM and is a certified information professional (CIP). He serves on the Advisory Board of United American Bank.