Shortly after graduating Indiana University in 1960, Barry Hunter entered his family's small recycling business in Passaic, NJ, embarking on a 60-year career in the industry. In 1972, when a highway redevelopment program marked the end of his family business, Hunter joined the Schiavone-Bonomo Corporation beginning his focus on international trade as vice president of its newly formed Stainless and Alloy Division. When Schiavone-Bonomo was sold in 1987, Hunter remained active in the industry eventually forming his own international trading company, Hunter Alloys LLC, which he retired from in 2020. Throughout his long career, Hunter has been a prominent figure in the U.S. trade association, highlighted by his receipt of the Zeke Afram Award, The Phoenix Award, and ISRI's Lifetime Achievement Award. On the international side, Hunter advanced through the ranks of the BIR and was elected to serve two terms as President from 1999 through 2003. He was later appointed by the association to serve as BIR’s U.S. Ambassador to ISRI and remains the Honorary Chairman of the BIR’s Stainless Steel and Special Alloys Committee.