Honoree: Ed Barrera

Financial Officer
Traffic Management, Inc.

Ed Barrera is a financial executive with experience providing fiscal, strategic, and operational leadership at multinational corporations. He has experience in many industries including aerospace and retail products, and managed several public and private companies through growth, acquisition, and restructuring. He is an experienced financial, operations, and business systems leader who joined Traffic Management, Inc. in 2021 as chief financial officer. Traffic Management, Inc. (TMI) started with very humble beginnings in the co-founders’ great grandmother’s garage when they were just teenagers. Today, it is the largest privately-owned minority business in the United States. TMI provides best-in-class products and services that include traffic control services, engineering, equipment rentals, product sales, sign manufacturing/installation, and 24/7 emergency dispatch response. Over the last two years, Barrera has helped grow the company from $227 million to $301 million in revenue.

At TMI, he leads the accounting, FP&A, continuous improvement, supply chain, legal, and safety departments for a company with 11 regions, 53 locations, and over 2,500 employees. Most importantly, he has helped transform many processes that have led to improvements in efficiency and profitability that have positioned the company for significant growth. Prior to joining TMI, Barrera was chief financial & operating officer at Diamond Mattress, where he led the acquisition of two companies and helped the company double its revenue in four years.

Barrera is the third child of Mexican immigrants, Edmundo and Marilu. They came to the U.S. in search of a better life for themselves and their future children. When Barrera was young, the family struggled financially but his parents always put an emphasis on academics and all four of their children became college graduates. With a passion for education as well as sports (all three of Barrera’s children are collegiate student-athletes), Barrera loves mentoring and supporting other student athletes through the college recruitment process. He has helped many kids earn academic and athletic scholarships by connecting them with college coaches and resources.