Trent University alumna Rhonda Barnet will sit as a member of the federal government's new Industry Strategy Council.
AVID Manufacturing president and chief operating officer, Rhonda Barnet, will help advise Ottawa of COVID-19 impact on manufacturing
The president and chief operating officer of AVIT Manufacturing in Peterborough, who holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics, is one of nine Canadian business leaders who will inform the federal government on the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on various sectors, and the unique challenges that have resulted.
"My job is to listen and pull together what I hear, then find common threads and bring that back to the council," says Ms. Barnet, who will meet with manufacturing CEOs across the country to discover "strong commonalities that we can focus on and bring to the government's attention, so it can make the next moves to rebuild our economy."
Ms. Barnet is no stranger to working at the federal level, being the first woman to become chair of the national board of directors of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME).
Ms. Barnet founded Steelworks Design in 2002, alongside her husband, Don; with the company changing its name to AVIT Manufacturing last year. AVIT considered mass-producing face masks early on during the pandemic but didn't have the machinery to do so. She thinks one positive outcome of the pandemic will be more sharing of technology and expertise between manufacturers when challenges present themselves.
"There are very few companies that have been untouched or undamaged by the pandemic," says Ms. Barnet.
"A few companies have actually grown, but I think they've grown through enormous strain, like 3M in the mask making business. I'm sure that was not an easy challenge."
Reflecting upon her "foundational" Trent education, Ms. Barnet says the experience "rooted me with confidence," launching her on what has become a 30-year career working in the local manufacturing sector.
"We started the Math Society of Trent," she recalls. "That was a great segue into leadership. Often smart girls aren't encouraged to have outgoing confidence. It's something that has to be fostered and built. That happened for me at Trent."
