Barry Abshire

Barry Abshire is Director, Risk Management Services at SMART Safety Gulf Coast and located in Baton Rouge, LA with the Gulf Coast Region. Barry earned a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology from Louisiana State University. Barry is also Senior Managing Director, Risk Management of Pala Group, Inc, a leading construction and industrial services firm doing business across the Southeastern U.S.​

Barry has over 20 years safety management experience in the construction industry with a focus in the identification of key risks within the organization. He has expertise in developing mitigating factors such as insurable, contractual, legal, and safety risks. Prior to his current position with SMART Safety Gulf Coast, Barry was the Corporate Safety Director with the Pala Group from 1997 until 2005, at which time he took on the role of Risk Manager.