New Office, New Chapter for Elizabeth Barrood in New Brunswick

Elizabeth Barrood’s new office, resplendent with an industrial-grade desk she painted teal and a comfy sofa (also teal!), reflects her personality: bright, cheerful, colorful, and understated elegance.

Up a flight of stairs at 52 Paterson St., this storage room turned office is where the woman known across New Brunswick as Liz has launched a new chapter in her professional life.

After working primarily in the insurance industry for 20 years, she has moved in across the hall from her brother, George, and shifted her focus to the family’s property management business.

Along with their brother, Michael, the Barroods manage about 15 properties in and around New Brunswick, including residential, business, and office spaces.

This feels like coming home for Liz, who has hung a new shingle with her name emblazoned on it out front (accented in her favorite color, purple) and has her name now etched on the front glass door.

With some low music typically playing in the background and the sunlight splashing on her floral print area carpet, she methodically tackles the administrative side of the business. She tends to vital, behind-the-scene things such as bills, rent, taxes, and more.

And if the need to sit down with a client arises, the meeting room is ready to play host.

“Another great thing about this is that I see my brothers every day, and we work well together,” she said.

Her work is challenging, no doubt, but there’s flexibility built into her schedule that allows her to also devote much of her energies to her true passion: Town Clock Community Development Corporation.

As the Town Clock fundraising chair and board member, Barrood plays a critical role in the 501(c)3 nonprofit organization headquartered on Bayard Street that provides permanent, affordable, safe housing and supportive service for survivors of domestic violence and their children.

Among other things, she helps organize the annual Being Brave event, which is a night of fundraising and advocacy that is designed to honor and support women who bravely pursue safety, wholeness, and affordable housing.

Barrood began volunteering at Town Clock in 2018, distributing flyers and helping to set up events. She was soon moved to get more involved.

“I was getting their holiday wish lists, things that women my age or younger are asking for, things I take for granted,” she said. “They were asking for laundry detergent, baby wipes, personal products. I don’t remember the last time someone had to ask for laundry detergent for Christmas.

“That’s when I knew I had to step up and get involved, specifically because it’s two blocks away from my office, so I can actually see where my time and energy is going,” she added.

Barrood’s tireless efforts to rally support for Town Clock earned her the Citizen of the Year Award from the New Brunswick Elks Lodge No. 324 in 2022. The award hangs on the same wall in her office as a piece of art created by a woman who came to stay at Town Clock. The abstract sketch of a woman, perhaps dreaming of someday being like the bird that’s about to take flight, was presented to Barrood as a thank-you.

The work with her brothers in the property management business, and with her volunteer work with Town Clock, the Elks Lodge, and New Brunswick City Market – not to mention that she still handles clients in the insurance field through the Daven Agency in Matawan - Barrood is proud to carry on a legacy started by her dad, Louis.

Louis Barrood started out as an insurance salesman and slowly branched out into property management, working in an office on the first floor of 52 Paterson St. He became widely known throughout the city due in part to his work with the Elks Lodge, as well as the local VFW and American Legion. He was also known for his generous charitable acts.

There’s still a blue sign that hangs from the building with the signature of Barrood, who passed away in 2012 at 96.

“We are following in my dad’s footsteps – very family-oriented, very business-minded, very social-minded, too,” Liz said.

Story & Photo By: Chuck O'Donnell