Barry Olstein's Questionnaire

Barry Olstein lives in Madison, Wisconsin, where he was born and raised. He owns a glass manufacturing company, making and selling windows, mirrors, and all sorts of glass derived products, and as a result is quite firmly entrenched in the community, the business itself being something Barry built up from the legacy of his father and grandfather before him, both skilled glassblowers who provided for their family with artisanal crafts. Barry's own home is a pleasant two story affair, with its own living room, bathroom, and bedroom, as well as a guest room (that is rarely used) a kitchen, a dining room and a laundry room. All in all, a fairly typical middle-class home.

Barry makes the majority of his income from his glass company, primarily through the commercial sale of windows and mirrors that they mass produce. Aside from that, they also sell artisanal glass sculptures, the sort you would find on a desk or shelf, as a side business, a carry over from the companies origins in Barry's families glassblowing trade. Barry himself possesses some minor skill in glassblowing, having been taught under his father, but can't really make much aside from glass balls, which he sells for pocket change. The vast majority of Barry's income goes right back into the business to keep everything afloat.

Ever since he was a boy, Barry has struggled for control of his life. As a child, his family was poor, and he had to struggle to help make ends meet, not living at the standards of many of his peers. Growing up, he took over his fathers career and ended up molding it into the thriving business it is today, but that too required him to fight to control the markets, much cutthroat business occurring before things became stable, as they are now. He has always longed for a world where, rather than the constant struggle of day to day life, he can shape his circumstances to his will. He is familiar with the fact that there's no free lunch, and that striving for more can invite danger into his life, but there is no reward without risk, and Barry has hurt people to get where he is already. There's no backing down now.

Before signing The Contract and becoming a Contractor, the most defining event of Barry's life was when his father became too ill to continue working, and passed on his business to him. Barry lacked his fathers skill in glassblowing, but possessed the financial chops that he was able to keep the business afloat and, eventually, expand it, hiring on more skilled workers to fill in where his own skills failed. After much hard work and many risks, both financial and physical, due to threats from competitors, Barry went from the poor son of a glassblower to the owner and CEO of a growing glass business, a drastic change.

Although they are, by now, quite old, Barry still maintains a close relationship with his parents, particularly his father, who put his life into providing for Barry and the rest of his family when Barry was growing up. While he learned discipline, determination, and the fundamentals of working with glass from his father, however, it was his mother who encouraged him to pursue a love of mathematics that led to him earning a scholarship to university and a degree in finance, which led to his current position. A good portion of his income goes towards providing for his parents, financing their stay in a nice retirement home which he visits fairly regularly as he is able, and paying for their treatment when they fall ill.

In his personal life, Barry most frequently works with Bob Rowland, his secretary, who is the one who manages his schedule and vets his meetings.

Barry had a fairly simple childhood, growing up the son of a glassblower and a nurse. His family were not wealthy, just about making ends meet, but he was able to eat three meals a day and attend school like most kids his age. He was somewhat popular among his classmates due to his relatively outgoing nature, as well as a decent natural aptitude at sports such as baseball, but over time his interests drifted more towards economics and management, eventually leading to him inheriting his fathers glassblowing business and, rather than shaping glass himself, working towards expanding it into a larger, more profitable enterprise. His parents remained supportive of his choices up until their passing, and he used a portion of his earnings to provide them with a comfortable retirement.

While Barry no longer keeps in touch with his schoolmates, having grown apart in the ensuing decades, he credits his art teacher for encouraging him to take a managerial role in creation, rather than thinking he must do everything himself.

Barry has an ex-wife, Trisha, who is the sister of one of his business associates. They were married for several years following a brief period of dating, during which she encouraged Barry to eat healthier (his childhood poverty had led to a tendency towards fast food) and get back into at least semi-regular exercise for his own health. They eventually divorced after it became clear that, while he cared for her as a very close friend, he did not feel the same attraction to her that she did to him, though they managed to part in amicable circumstances, and are still friends to this day.