Mr. Barnes began his career in technology and software development. He started programming at the age of eight in languages like assembler and C/C++ where he focused on video game development. At fourteen he attended college for software engineering and at the age of sixteen graduated high school early to work full time as a programmer at Dallas-based video game company Ion Storm. After two years, Mr. Barnes joined colleagues to start 10kwizard.com which was later acquired by Morningstar. In conjunction with the sale Mr. Barnes re-located to Japan for 2 years where he replicated the technology on the Nikkei.

Upon returning to the United States Mr. Barnes joined the family business, Eyemart Express. After learning the business from the ground up, Mr. Barnes enhanced operations and created proprietary technology that improved all aspects of the business. In 2014, Eyemart and the Barnes family partnered with San Francisco-based private equity firm FFL Partners to continue Eyemart’s expansion. Under the direction of Mr. Barnes, Eyemart Express expanded from 65 to over 200 locations across the country. In 2018, Mr. Barnes stepped down as CEO. Mr. Barnes is currently Chairman of Eyemart Express and spends a significant amount of time working in the Barnes’ family office. He currently serves on the Board of U.S. Virgin Islands-based non-profit Nana Baby Home, a 24-hour care home for children in need.