Bill and Ed Barrett Named to the Gerry Pond Innovation Hall of Fame

Woodstock-born brothers Bill Barrett and Ed Barrett will join the Gerry Pond Innovation Hall of Fame at the 2026 InnovateNB Awards in Fredericton on Nov. 26.

Entrevestor reported the induction on Oct. 29, citing a statement from TechImpact and the other InnovateNB partners. The Hall of Fame award is presented by Mariner.

From Barrett Corporation to rural broadband

The brothers started building companies in 1976 with Barrett Corporation, spanning telecommunications, distribution, consumer products and technology. Their best-known venture was Xplornet Communications, founded in 2004 to expand broadband in rural Canada. It grew into the country's largest rural-focused broadband provider and was sold in 2020 in a deal reported at about US$2 billion. The company now operates as Xplore.

Bill Barrett has invested in Atlantic Canadian startups since 2016 and backed groups including the Wallace McCain Institute and Creative Destruction Lab. Ed Barrett has held leadership roles with organizations including NB Power, Medavie, NAV CANADA, Wajax, the Wallace McCain Institute and Acadia University.

Digital and AI philanthropy

In 2022, the brothers jointly committed $2.5 million to UNB and the McKenna Institute for the Barrett Chair in Entrepreneurship for Digital Transformation, linking computer science education with entrepreneurship and venture creation.

The Barrett family has also backed a McKenna Institute AI pilot, delivered with the Wallace McCain Institute, that is helping 16 New Brunswick small and medium-sized businesses adopt artificial intelligence.

"Bill and Ed Barrett proved that you can build nationally significant companies right here in New Brunswick and compete and win on a national stage," said Jeff White, CEO of the New Brunswick Innovation Foundation.

Awards night

The Hall of Fame was established in 2022 and renamed this year for Gerry Pond, its first inductee. InnovateNB is in its fifth year. The Nov. 26 ceremony is at the Fredericton Convention Centre; tickets are on sale through the InnovateNB site.

Sources

• Entrevestor: Barrett Brothers Join InnovateNB Hall of Fame: induction announcement; Barrett Corporation 1976; Xplornet 2004 and ~US$2B 2020 sale; board and investor roles; $2.5M Barrett Chair; McKenna–Wallace McCain AI pilot for 16 SMEs; Jeff White quote; Nov. 26 ceremony; Mariner as presenter
• InnovateNB Awards: Nov. 26, 2026 at the Fredericton Convention Centre; partners TechImpact, NBIF, McKenna Institute, Propel and Ignite
• NB Tech News: InnovateNB renames Hall of Fame for Gerry Pond: prior coverage of the rename
• TechImpact: InnovateNB partner
• Mariner: Hall of Fame presenter
• Xplore: Woodstock-based rural broadband successor to Xplornet
• McKenna Institute: UNB digital-transformation institute
• Wallace McCain Institute: co-delivery partner on the AI SME pilot
• New Brunswick Innovation Foundation: Jeff White, CEO
• Bill Barrett CDL partner profile: CEO, Barrett Corporation; Xplornet co-founder
• Ed Barrett Wallace McCain Institute profile: Chair & Co-CEO, Barrett Corporation
• Jeff White NBIF profile: President & CEO, NBIF
• Creative Destruction Lab: Atlantic startup mentorship network
• NB Power: provincial utility
• Medavie: health solutions organization
• NAV CANADA: Canadian air navigation service
• Wajax: industrial equipment distributor
• Acadia University: Wolfville, N.S.
• Fredericton Convention Centre: InnovateNB Awards venue