Remembering Barry Wise

Barry Wise

By Jim Roddy, president, Jameson Publishing and Business Solutions magazine

When I first met Barry Wise, the longtime senior marketing consultant for Epson, I was downright intimidated. Folks had told me he was one of the sharpest minds in the retail IT industry; his name was no misnomer.

He was serious, too. When I first saw Barry in 2006 at the RSPA (Retail Solutions Providers Association) winter conference in Jamaica, he was wearing a tropically patterned shirt, shorts, and sandals, but he was totally focused on the business of launching an industry association for the channel.

Over the years I learned firsthand that Barry was both smart and serious but, more importantly, he cared deeply about his fellow man both inside the retail IT industry and beyond.

Barry passed away on Friday, Dec. 28, after a brief illness.

For decades, Barry was eager to volunteer his time to assist the RSPA marketing committee, participate in the association’s vendor working group, and contribute to industry strategy discussions. He also made himself available to share his expertise with retail IT publications or anybody eager to learn more about our industry.

My final extended conversation with Barry was one his most revealing. In January 2012 at the RSPA Inspire conference in Costa Rica, I was having lunch with some IT resellers when Barry sat down in an open seat across from me. A reseller was talking about the struggles of servicing customers in poverty-stricken south Chicago.

Barry said many years ago he managed a south Chicago department store and detailed some of his stressful experiences there. Yes, there was shoplifting and theft, but what bothered Barry the most was parents mistreating their children.

He recounted the time a mother was physically abusing her son. While many folks would look the other way or walk to another section of the store, Barry said he stepped between the mother and her child. The mother was quick to confront Barry and he was just as quick to stand his ground.

Decades later, Barry was still shaken by that situation and mistreatment of children by their parents. “I stopped what she was doing in the store,” he said, “but I couldn’t imagine what those kids were going through every day.”

Maybe that’s why Barry was such a driving force in launching the Retail Orphan Initiative. RetailROI provides support to orphans worldwide through fundraising and time volunteered by members of the retail industry.

Greg Buzek, a RetailROI trustee, honored Barry in a recent email: “I can say with certainty that what we are accomplishing with the Retail Orphan Initiative would never even been a pipedream without Barry's influence and support. He was one of the first 6 people in the room and the first to sponsor our fundraiser. That influence alone has already helped 114,000 children because Barry said yes. And that is just one of the countless ways Barry has been involved.”

Please continue Barry’s legacy by helping the children who can’t help themselves. To donate your time or money to RetailROI, please go to http://www.RetailROI.org/how-to-get-involved.