John Barfield is a son of an Alabama sharecropper, he dropped out of high school to enlist in the United States Army, serving in Germany and France from 1945-1947. Upon his discharge, he worked as a custodian at the University of Michigan. In 1954, he and his wife Betty, formed the first of many companies, J & B Cleaning Company (later renamed Barfield Cleaning Company) located in Ypsilanti, Michigan. John and his wife Betty sold their first business to ITT Corporation in 1969. It was a breakthrough transaction that led to a relationship with General Motors Corporation and a second career as one of the most successful minority suppliers for GM and other companies. In 1977, Barfield incorporated John Barfield and Associates and by 1984 he had expanded the company and renamed it Bartech Inc. Barfield formed and eventually sold additional businesses, including Barfield Building Maintenance Company and Barfield Manufacturing Company.
John Barfield has been a dedicated longtime area Rotarian that has supported time and money to Rotary's Polio Plus Program. Please support him with a purchase of his book "Starting from Scratch". It would be a wonderful gift for young students in High School and College.