A former Canadian Forces officer and manufacturing leader joins the company behind Tribute Art™ to help bring new ways of remembering into the world.
KINGSTON, ON — The Memorial Collective™, the company behind Tribute Art™, has appointed Kelsey Barnes, CD, MBA, as Chief Executive Officer. He brings more than thirty years of leadership, operations and innovation experience as the company works to broaden what remembrance can look like.
Kelsey spent 20 years as an Infantry Officer in the Canadian Forces before retiring and moving into industry, where he spent close to a decade helping grow regulated consumer goods manufacturing across North America and abroad.
That background matters as the company moves from new ideas to real products and services. Turning a vision into something families can actually use means navigating complex systems, building operations that can grow, and bringing both physical and digital products to market.
Kelsey also has hands-on experience designing intelligent workflows and AI systems that connect information and support better decisions. He will help guide the careful, responsible use of new technology across the business.
“Kelsey knows how to take something ambitious and build what it takes to make it real,” said owner Kevin Montroy. “Just as importantly, he understands that everything we build has to serve people.”
For Kelsey, the role marks a different kind of success. After a career measured in missions, growth and production, his focus now is deeply human: helping people find better ways to remember, honour and stay connected to those who matter most.
He joins a growing team that spans funeral service, technology, science, art, design and human experience — all working toward a future where innovation adds to the human side of remembrance rather than replacing it.