Our cover story was titled, “Savvy Hoteliers Embrace Barter.” Other articles about the hotel industry included the following: George Otras on how “Hoteliers Benefit When Working With A Barter Organization,” and Illinois Trade Association’s piece, “There’s No Room For Empty Hotel Rooms.”

Fred Detwiler, president of Michigan Trade Exchange, offered more information on the exclusive U.S. distributorship for Soviet Moldavian Wine. Quite an accomplishment for a trade exchange owner hailing from Oak Park, Michigan.

An extremely valuable article on radio and TV for trade exchange owners came from (more…)

We sat down with the president of IRTA’s newly formed Reciprocal Trade Council, Alan Elkin, to learn how corporate trading companies have embraced self-regulation and the adoption of a Code of Ethics. The 12-page interview, which actually took place in Cancun at the IRTA Convention, provided an insightful overview of the barter industry’s fastest-growing sector.

Steve Webster, president of Rochester Trade Exchange, was the subject of our first “Do-er’s Dossier”…a close and upfront look at the “movers and shakers” in the barter industry. We also reported on Fred Detwiler, president of Michigan Trade in Oak Park, who was busy initiating business in the Soviet Union.

It was at this time that Mike Baer replaced (more…)

We revealed the announcement made on the upcoming IRTA convention that was eagerly looked forward to by many in the industry because of its location—Cancun, Mexico.

There was an article relating the recent convention of the ITEX organization, staged in Denver, which drew as many attendees as the industry’s national conventions. (By 1990, ITEX had grown to be the largest barter company in the U.S.)

We had several stories covering radio. Among them was one that disclosed how executives obtained key man insurance in exchange for unsold time. Another explained how radio stations look at trade; it was authored by Scott Marcus, former station V.P. and general manager of Select Media Services. Additionally, we reported how Chicago Barter Corp. was moving forward with the establishment of a media agency, specializing in broadcast creative services on (more…)

Our cover story was with Matt O’Hayer, the president and CEO of Austin-based Barter Exchange Inc. (BEI). The young and tenacious 34-year-old Texan was one of the drivers of the commercial barter industry back in 1990 when we conducted the interview. BEI was ranked in 1988 as one of the top 500 privately-held companies in the nation by Inc. magazine.

O’Hayer, to his credit, was one of the most adamant people in the industry who stressed the importance of instituting solid barter accounting standards, focusing on the value of a zero-based and balanced system.

As we approached a new decade BarterNews talked with industry leaders for their take on the future. Commenting on (more…)

Our cover story featured the unusual success of two young entrepreneurs, 28-year-old Ray Bastarache and 31-year-old Tim Walsh of Barter Network Inc. (BNI), located in Milford (CT).

Bastarache, at age 24 and armed with $3,000 in borrowed money, was the youngest trade exchange owner in the country when he formed BNI. Putting in grueling hours, he was able to rise above his meager beginnings. His odyssey is an inspiration to every under-capitalized entrepreneur.

His sidekick, Tim Walsh, operated another part of the company which focused on corporate barter—PEAR (Promoting Exchange for Asset Recovery). The 16-page story shows what youthful energy and persistence can accomplish.

Hotelier and art collector Arnold Ashkenazy amassed a 20,000 piece collection, valued at $20 million, through the astute use of barter. We reveal (more…)

This issue’s cover story is about the remarkable phoenix-like rise of Chicago Barter, after they left Barter Systems as a franchisee and went on to become one of the nation’s top trade exchanges. Most important, in addition to the great success story, was the sharing of workable ideas they pioneered in their industriousness to build a premier organization.

We looked at “How Barter’s Image Is Changing” due to the entrepreneurial efforts of Peter Ueberroth and the Los Angeles Organizing Committee’s embracement of barter at the 1984 Olympic Games held in (more…)

Eliot Janeway, a curmudgeon and economist, wrote about how the U.S. could cure its huge international deficits by bringing back barter. According to Janeway, the government should trade its food surpluses for oil. (Note: Washington wasn’t listening!)

This issue contained the highly-acclaimed 16-page restaurant report. (more…)

Our cover story was with Karel van Haeften of International Vacation Promotions and former publisher of The Rare Earth Report, a newsletter which reported on exotic properties around the world. When van Haeften moved on from real estate, he began a new business…creating “certs.” These were certificates that could be used for a 2-night stay at a time-share resort.

He sold and bartered the “certs” to companies that offered high ticket products or services. These firms would then use the “certs” as an incentive to generate traffic for their sales presentations. This fascinating interview illustrated how he utilized barter to build his (more…)

We reported on the industry’s first regional IRTA meeting, which was held in the Northeast that year. Some 67 attendees from 27 barter companies came to Connecticut for the 2-day October session.

The cover story spotlighted eight IRTA barter companies: Barter Network of Milford (CT), Trading Exchange of Syracuse (NY), BarterOne of Ft. Myers (FL), Chicago Barter of Lombard (IL), Metro Trading Association of Madison Heights (MI), Bartermax of Boston (MA), The Exchange of Orlando (FL), and The Trade Arranger of Indianapolis (IN).

We also covered the 4-day BXI National Convention held in Tucson. It was hosted by Lee and Terry (Mr. and Mrs.) Brandfass in conjunction with (more…)

In 1987, IRTA held its eighth annual convention in Tampa Bay. It was aptly titled “Reaching New Heights,” as attendance was double that of the previous year. A record setting 186 were in attendance.

To many, the highlight of the convention was the eye-opening three hour session by Clyde Fabretti on how corporate barter companies trade. Thirty-nine trade exchange owners paid an extra fee (which was donated by Fabretti to IRTA) to attend his “Accounts Receivable” session.

It was at this convention that representatives from both the IRTA and NATE boards met. The suggestion that both organizations disband and start anew, forming a new national association that would embrace the entire industry under one banner, was ignored.

Keynote speaker at the convention was (more…)