In an uncertain age of U.S. tariffs and foreign reprisals, Jennifer Barbosa said she’s focused on her customers.
Barbosa’s Atlanta-based company, International Supply Partners, helps businesses, medical facilities, colleges and government agencies obtain mission-critical personal protective equipment through a network of domestic and foreign suppliers. Her company also makes high-visibility safety vests, supplies PPE recycling kits, and sources office supplies and other goods.
Many clients are now facing increasing costs from rising import taxes, costs that can shift weekly.
“These are not fashion trends we provide to them,” Barbosa said of her customers. “These are essential products they need to operate.”
Barbosa founded ISP at her kitchen table in 2016, grew the company through the pandemic and now runs a team of nine people worldwide.
Giving clients actionable information fast is key. Barbosa said even when circumstances are beyond her control or news isn’t good, her clients have told her they appreciate the candor.
“We’re trying to be more proactive and problem-solving rather than being gloomy,” she said.
Barbosa said some of the world’s best-known companies have not only survived through global crises but thrived. Taking President Donald Trump’s trade war as an opportunity, Barbosa said ISP is growing business by deepening client relationships and forging links with new suppliers, including many that make their products in the U.S.
ISP has sourced from U.S. companies since its founding, Barbosa said, but the tariffs have made certain U.S. products more price competitive with imports. When possible, clients are shifting to domestic producers, which is part of Trump’s aim.
On Trump’s trade policies, Barbosa described herself as “agnostic.”
“The reason I say this is I don’t know what the end game or real strategy is,” she said. “I don’t know where it’s going to go. I don’t think our society is equipped to stand on its own to manufacture all the things we consume.”
That will require a major shift in society, and likely a painful one, Barbosa said.
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