Richard C. Barnes
Vice President, Business Development
When Gio Tomasi endeavored to buy out his partners with RSL Fiber Systems in the mid-2000s and venture out on his own, he knew who to call on for strategic counsel: Rick Barnes.
Who better to lean on than a former college classmate-turned-seasoned entrepreneur/consultant/senior executive who had spent the past 20-plus years playing vital roles in a string of successful startups, restructurings, spinoffs and expansions for corporate interests ranging from small firms on the brink of failure to Fortune 50 companies looking to bolster their portfolios?
"I love a well-oiled machine," says Barnes. "I enjoy taking complicated situations and making them simple and easy to understand."
Like the time when Barnes, as Executive Vice President of Oakleaf Waste Management, helped turn chaos into conquest as a key member of the team that boosted sales from $3 million to $185 million in four years. Or when he helped a small biotech start-up that had run out of cash navigate a massive restructuring and venture capital campaign that turned the tide. Or when he managed a $200 million international restructuring effort on behalf of corporate giant United Technologies.
An entrepreneur at heart, Barnes has taken lessons learned from key management positions with UTC, Dexter Corporation, Kaman Corporation and others and put them to work in his own past ventures, as a consultant, and today for RSL.
With RSL, Barnes has held a variety of key responsibilities over the years and has been critical to the company's growth and success. He has managed the company's finances as Chief Financial Officer; supervised strategic planning, administrative operations and contract management as Chief Operating Officer; and today, Rick leads the way in seeking out new business development opportunities, raising capital and discovering possible new ventures and partnerships. His experience and business savvy are key components in RSL's strategic growth.
Barnes holds a management degree from Fairfield University and an MBA from the University of Connecticut. A lifelong learner, over the past 20 years he has taken more than 50 continuing education courses in subjects ranging from government accounting to engineering to public speaking.
