Nation Building Alliance Welcomes Barry Payne to Its Advisory Committee
Nation Building Alliance is honoured to welcome Barry Payne to our Advisory Committee. An entrepreneur and member of Hiawatha First Nation, Barry brings a combination that matters deeply to NBA: experience building Indigenous businesses, an extensive network across entrepreneurship and procurement, and a commitment to helping people connect with the opportunities and support they need to move forward.
Connecting people. Advancing opportunity.
Barry brings relationships across Indigenous business, government, and industry, backed by entrepreneurship and procurement experience.
A connector across communities, business, and government
Barry’s work brings him into the conversations where Indigenous entrepreneurs, public-sector buyers, business mentors, and industry partners meet. He helps people understand who can contribute, where opportunities exist, and how to take the next step. That ability to connect people is central to what he brings to NBA. His involvement spans several parts of the Indigenous business and supplier-diversity community. He serves on OECM’s Indigenous Strategic Advisory Circle, is a founding director of the BEBC Supplier Council, and contributes to EME Utility Engineering’s advisory board. As an Expert in Residence with the Innovation Cluster, he guides entrepreneurs in networking, government relations, and Indigenous business development.
Business experience behind the relationships
Barry understands the work behind a successful business relationship because he has built businesses himself. He founded Adirondack Technologies Furniture in 2002, growing it from his home on Hiawatha First Nation into a national supplier. He later founded Adirondack Information Management, serving public- and private-sector clients in technology, engineering, professional, and administrative services before selling the business in 2021. He went on to lead the Indigenous Entrepreneurship Centre of Excellence at Procurement Assistance Canada, helping Indigenous and other equity-deserving businesses navigate federal procurement. Now back in the private sector, he brings more than two decades of experience with the practical realities of building a company, serving buyers, and preparing suppliers to compete.
Why this matters for Nation Building Alliance
NBA brings communities, businesses, institutions, and industry partners together around shared opportunities. That work depends on understanding community priorities, recognizing what businesses can deliver, and finding partners who can work well together. Barry’s relationships and experience strengthen each of those conversations. Within the Advisory Committee, his perspective will help NBA identify relevant Indigenous businesses and collaborators, better understand supplier readiness, and shape partnerships around real capabilities and community priorities. His experience also connects procurement with the broader work of entrepreneurship, mentorship, and business growth. For NBA, this is a meaningful meeting of purpose and experience: Barry’s commitment to connecting people and supporting Indigenous enterprise complements our focus on bringing the right relationships and capabilities together to move projects forward.
Welcome to the alliance, Barry
We are excited to welcome Barry’s energy, experience, and spirit of connection to Nation Building Alliance. We look forward to learning from him and building relationships that create lasting value for Indigenous businesses and communities. Welcome, Barry. We are honoured to have you with us.
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