DF Barnes

Welcome to The Pivot series, where we celebrate the resilience and innovation of Atlantic Canadians entrepreneurs who adapted tremendously to face the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. We asked business leaders from across the region to tell us in their own words how they navigated the new economy and the lessons they learned along the way. Here is what one entrepreneur had to say.


Sean Power, VP Business Development
DF Barnes 

Before the pandemic, DF Barnes was not in the business of making PPE but in the business of manufacturing with expertise in quality, safety and innovation. Businesses around the world were hit hard and many came to a standstill. DF Barnes was not immune to the change that was happening and saw the need to suddenly think differently. Our initial focus was internal and local. When we began to manufacture medical PPE we did not have high-volume manufacturing equipment so we asked hundreds of sewers from across Newfoundland to sew masks for Regional Health Authorities. As the state of the pandemic has progressed, we are still offering PPE at a very competitive price because of the initial and ongoing support from our community. 

The world came to a standstill and it was imperative for us to maintain employment for our staff. We found ways to safely operate and ensure consistency in our business. On top of that, we launched the new PPE line of business. It provided our staff with great pride and confidence. That’s the best support we could offer and we did everything in our power to deliver on our responsibilities. It was uncertain times for sure, but we found a way to give reassurance and certainty to our team. 

COVID has forced us all to think outside of the box. Our company has become much more innovative and agile and that will serve us very well in a post-pandemic, highly competitive world. “It’s an ill wind that blows no good.” Always look for opportunities in the challenges and move on to them quickly. This entire experience has allowed us to prove to ourselves, to our clients, and to our community, that ‘’Think Different, Build Better’’ is truly something we can stand behind because it’s what we do. I think that, in hindsight, our common need to share our stories is very telling of how much we learned to help each other out and take advice from one another on all sorts of things, not just business challenges.

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