Innovator Profile: Richard Smith

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— INNOVATOR PROFILE —

Think, Plan, Deliver

Richard Smith ’88 is an Innovation Machine

During the latter part of the nineteenth century and into the twentieth, enthusiasm ran rampant for a series of books written by one Horatio Alger. These novels followed a pattern in which a boy or young man scraped his way up the American socio-economic ladder. These fine, fictional fellows embodied the American characteristic of “go-gettedness,” and each was a depiction of rags-to-riches success. In these tales, the young hero would pick himself up by his own bootstraps, overcoming the lack of a head start in life, inevitably reaching the highest of plateaus.

And while it may be true that the works of Horatio Alger may have lost their luster over the years (as did the name “Horatio”), the traits that he projected on his characters — diligence, ethic, determination, and drive — remain highly valued. In fact, they can be found in one of Benedictine’s own. Richard Smith ’88,

in fact, personifies the American entrepreneurial spirit, and the company that he owns and runs, RJ Smith Companies, is an innovation machine.

It is also a company of multitudinous and lengthy tentacles, one that evades a quick description. RJ Smith is a major player in varied activities such as real estate development, construction, site preparation, demolition, recycling, disaster recovery, and interstate snow removal. And that list just scratches the surface. “We are a conception-to-completion company on any construction plan,” said Smith. “We are that connected.”

The RJ Smith Companies perform to this capacity with the network of some of their family businesses; Monique, his wife of 22 years, owns and operates USA Civil and USA Iron and Metal, while his daughter, Savannah, is the CEO of USA Materials. Construction, networking, balance

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“When word gets around about your reliability, people ask you to do other things.”

— THINK, PLAN, DELIVER —

sheets, and income statements are a part of their children’s growing up, meaning their other daughters Sheyenne, 13, and Sheridan, 10, are already taking steps to enter the business world and follow in the family’s footsteps.

That can-do attitude starts at the top, and it started early in life for Smith. Both his mother (Brunswick County — one of Virginia’s smallest) and father (Pinetops, North Carolina — good luck finding that one) were the offspring of sharecropping farmers located in some hardscrabble places. Both came to Richmond to work in the big city and send their earnings back to the farm in the hopes of buying land. What was not included in either plan was that the two would meet and marry.

Richard, along with his sister Frances, became familiar with hard work early in their lives. (Frances Zaun, SGHS Class of ’90 and a soil scientist, is the founder (in 2005) and owner of Earth Tek, a soil erosion and control company in Chesterfield, Virginia). “We grew up on the job site,” recalled Richard, who received an early taste of trucking, operating machinery, and good old-fashioned

outdoor labor with his father’s Chippenham Excavating and Grading outfit. While his parents struggled, however, their faith in private education manifested itself in their children’s enrollment in Benedictine and Saint Gertrude.

Throughout his high school days, Richard’s focus was on work, often to the detriment of his grades, and certainly a factor that precluded a load of extracurriculars (although he did manage to earn the rank of major in the Corps of Cadets). “After school, you got in the truck and went to work,” he stated. “There was not a lot of time to play. You want to eat, you gotta’ go to work. We connected survival to work.”

Forgoing college to work in the family business (and to gather business acumen, reading off the shelf at Books-A-Million), Richard did so until he was prepared to strike out on his own, which he did in 1995, with the establishment of RJ Smith Construction. He had a name, he had a work ethic, and he had a single dump truck. “We ran that truck 24 hours a day,” he recalled having pivoted away from the residential construction focus that his parents had on the commercial side of the house.

For the next two and a half decades, Smith drove his company in a rapid-growth mode, with each venture having more than a mere tenuous tie to the business. RJ Smith began amassing experience in building schools, athletic facilities, and office spaces. Not only were they able to provide the contracting work, but they offered demolition and site work opportunities as well. Thus, the hauling of construction debris led to the business of reusing and recycling that detritus. (An example: RJ Smith found a home for 96% of the debris that was removed from the destruction of Dominion Energy’s downtown building.) Owning a large fleet of trucks led to the business of snow removal. (The company clears Interstate 64 between Charlottesville and Goochland County and the greater portion of Interstate 95 through Central Virginia.)

Just as Amazon started out as an online book seller and is now in such seemingly disparate lines of business (think Amazon Web Services), RJ Smith is a conglomerate that, viewed as a whole, makes a lot of sense.

“When word gets around about your reliability, people ask you to do other things,” said Smith. “That’s why we do so much here. We hire employees who adapt to that philosophy, and that’s what our customers see: a can-do attitude.”

Richard pictured with his sister, Frances Zaun, a Saint Gertrude graduate from the class of 1990 and a successful business owner in her own right.

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— STARS AND STRIPES – WRIT LARGE —

It’s Hard to Miss Richard Smith’s Devotion to the Nation

It may be difficult to identify a man as humble as Richard Smith. While his pioneering of innovations and driving employee quality of work-life have brought tremendously good publicity for his eponymously named company, Smith eschews the limelight, taking his victories in stride. Those who meet him come away with the impression that the man is anything but the founder and chief executive officer of a multimillion-dollar company. He is the opposite of the self-promoter.

There is, however, one aspect of his life that Smith promotes with the fervor of a P.T. Barnum: his American roots and love of country. That devotion has manifested itself in the most American of symbols, one that may be seen as one travels I-95 in Chesterfield County. As one nears that interstate’s intersection with Route 288, you will see a banner that is 40 feet tall and 76 feet wide (3,040 square feet). Smith believes it is the largest flag in the commonwealth and is the fifth largest in America.

“People are trying to find some type of clarity,” he said. “[The flag] gives them a symbol of hope. We get calls and emails about it all day long.”

As it sits atop a 212-foot flagpole, Old Glory rises into the sky the equivalent height of a 15-story building at one of the busiest intersections in central Virginia. It is also approximately two miles from the RJ Smith headquarters, located off Route 1 in southern Chesterfield County. The prime location translates into an estimated two million people passing by it every single week.

The project was years in the planning and execution, including — of course — navigating Chesterfield’s zoning approval process. (In fact, Smith had to seek out an exemption because of the height of the pole.) The big unveil took place on November 18, 2018, in a ceremony headlined by country superstar Lee Greenwood, who sang the national anthem, and supported by a sharp-looking group of

Cadets who formed a circle around the flagpole and rendered “present arms” as the banner was hoisted heaven-ward.

There is more to the flag than its role as a patriotic symbol for those interstate drivers who pass by it. The pole sits in a greenspace, called Unity Park, that is rich in symbolism. For example, the pole is graced with a depiction of Jesus Christ. The grounds immediately surrounding the pole have been landscaped with liriope to form the image of an angel. The mason work that encircles the flagpole is comprised of 1,776 bricks, an homage to our nation’s founding. Even the height of the pole is symbolic, referring to the temperature at which water boils. While the rest of the world operates as warm or hot water, Smith wants people to “go the extra degree” and hit the boiling mark, noting that “boiling water creates steam, and steam can power a locomotive.”

Despite the park’s proximity to abundant traffic, it is marked by tranquility. “One day, I met an elderly woman sitting there,” recalled Smith. “[It turns out] she had a son who died in Afghanistan. She said, ‘This is the only place I can go, outside of Washington, where I feel I’m at peace.’”

In addition to the expense of building the park and raising the flagpole, Smith meets significant ongoing costs, including grounds upkeep and repairs to the flag, itself, which takes a beating in the wind. Smith stated that flags (there are multiples) need to be repaired every couple of weeks. Replacement flags run approximately $7,000, and two have already been retired.

While Smith’s efforts give us the fifth-largest version of Old Glory in the country, he takes no credit for it. One is hard-pressed to locate signage that links Unity Park to Smith or to his company. At the same time, however, he is never more animated than when he discusses it. “We’re super proud of it,” he stated. “After all, it’s everybody’s flag.”

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“He really cares about young people and giving them a chance to learn something and be able to come to work... with little experience, giving people the chance they might not get anywhere else.” Jody Pierson

They also see flexibility and inclusiveness. “The leadership team can disagree with [Smith],” noted Jeremy Setelin, director of operations. “In fact, he encourages you. But you have to validate it. You are part of a decision-making team. There’s no rubberstamping here.”

These days, the company has approximately 150 employees. While many of his employees have earned multiple degrees from prestigious colleges, the culture of the company is built around effort and teamwork. “[My employees] respect one another because of the effort they put forth,” noted Smith.

“If he trusts you, and you are a good employee, he would try to do anything you asked of him,” noted Jody Pierson, vice-president of human resources. “He really cares about young people and giving them a chance to learn something and be able to come to work… with little experience, giving people the chance they might not get anywhere else.”

Indeed, Pierson notes that many of the company’s managers started out as laborers or truck drivers who have climbed the ranks “because of their hard work and dedication,” noting [Smith] feels they deserve the chance before someone else. That effort and devotion goes both ways. The company pays for employees to take community college core courses. “We believe in the value of education when it means something to the student,” said Smith.

“The Smiths are fair,” said Setelin, who has been with the company for seven years. “They are the first ones to reward you when it is earned. They take care of their staff. They have compassion and play no favorites. The guy on the shovel is treated the same as a VP. Richard is the best mentor anyone could experience.”

If one takes a tour of the company’s facilities, that person will surely encounter Benedictine grads among those employees hard at work. And, if one takes that tour during the summer, current Cadets will be encountered. Smith is a great proponent of the school’s Corporate Internship Program (CIP), and the Cadets he takes on perform yeoman efforts. This is no “busy work.”

He could not tolerate such. And while Smith’s success (“Growing is not always growing revenue,” he notes) is largely attributed

to effort, innovation has played a significant role, as well. Smith thinks not like your typical inhabitant of this planet. He looks at coal ash, something regarded as a toxic hazard, and that becomes improvement to construction material. He sees building waste, and that becomes opportunities for repurposing. He sees a piece of land and creates the vision to develop it, an example being their newest company, The Layne Company, which will soon operate two large-scale wedding and event venues. Not because he’s some hopeless romantic, but because, working with life and business-partner wife Monique, they can envision such a space through the research they have done.

In terms of what he has taken on and the good he has created, it is difficult to pin a descriptor to him. But, as one realizes that his is an organization that is principle-based and that it is imbued with a culture of radical truth, and as one looks at the many philanthropic activities that he drives, how Smith describes himself is surely resonant: “God, family, and country.”

And that alliterative aphorism sounds as though it came straight out of one of those Horatio Alger novels.

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— THINK, PLAN, DELIVER —

RJ

SMITH

COMPANIES

— What’s in a Name? —

Believe it or not, RJ Smith is not an eponymous branding. The owner and head of the company bears a full name of Richard Edward Smith. His father’s name is Richard Johnson Smith.

Yet, Richard E. Smith is the founder. That is, he didn’t take over the company from his dad. The quirk in naming stems back to the company’s founding and need for financing. “We used Dad’s name to start because we had no credit, and he did,” recalled Smith.

And the younger Smith seems quite comfortable that it is his father’s name that still adorns the company. “My father was a huge influence — probably the biggest influence — in who I became,” he said. “Frankly, I’m honored that it is his name on the sign.” He also reflects on the teachings from his late mother, Colleen Maitland Smith, who he attributes his hard work ethic and business acumen.

Well, the name stuck. “I thank God that I worked with my parents,” said the junior Mister Smith. And R.J. Smith, himself? He’s busy in retirement at the ripe young age of 82, still farming and watching as the company that bears his name continues to thrive.

And others bearing that same name are doing their part. Richard Smith’s wife of 22 years, Monique, serves as CEO of some of the family companies, including USA Civil and USA Iron and Metal. Their oldest daughter, Savannah, is the CEO of USA Materials, while their younger daughters Sheyenne, 13, and Sheridan, 10, learn the different aspects of each business in preparation for the future. “The entrepreneurial spirit thrives because of family,” said Richard. “It’s to give them a better life. I have been blessed beyond measure to have such a hardworking wife, determined children, and understanding family.” He reminisces on the times he has been able to sit around the dinner table with everyone and reflect on the legacy that is being built.

Left: Richard shown with his father, Richard Johnson Smith, whose name adorns the company. Right: The Smith Family left to right: Savannah, Sheyenne, Richard, Sheridan, and Monique.

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— KICKING ASH —

RJ Smith Innovation Lowers Costs, Helps the Environment

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— THINK, PLAN, DELIVER —

Alchemists have plied their trade for centuries, with the most notable efforts made in attempts to transform base materials (such as lead) into something of value (such as gold). Much to the chagrin of those who employ them, however, their efforts over long centuries have yet to produce such a transmutation. The RJ Smith Companies, on the other hand, appear to be on the verge of realizing its own version of alchemy success. While the end result is less glamorous than precious metals, it has the potential to be of more value. Richard Smith and his team have developed a process, the only known one in the world, that converts waste fly ash into a major construction material.

While that last statement might not get your heart racing, a further clarification may do so. Fly ash is the byproduct of coal combustion. As its name implies, fly ash is a fine, grayish powder. Think of that pile of gray stuff at the bottom of your charcoal grill. Multiply that amount by millions and you’ll get a picture of the amount of the stuff that is sitting in designated holding pools around the country. Many consider fly ash to be the number-one environmental issue in the United States today. Smith’s process converts ash into an aggregate that can be used in the production of concrete, a material that is produced in the United States at a clip of about 500 million tons per year.

“WE SEE VALUE IN IT, BECAUSE THERE IS A NEED FOR IT,”

In a 2014 study of coal combustibles, the Environmental Protection Agency concluded: On a national scale, [the] current management practice of placing [coal combustible waste] in surface impoundments and landfills poses risks to human health and the environment within the range that the Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response typically regulates. Surface impoundments (ponds, etc.) presented higher risks than landfills. Risks to ecological receptors were identified from exposures to aluminum, arsenic, barium, beryllium, boron, cadmium, chloride, chromium, selenium, and vanadium through direct exposure to impoundment wastewater.

Put into layman’s terms, fly ash is some bad stuff. A 2016 Duke University study of 21 of these storage ponds in five Southeastern U.S. states showed that there was significant seepage, and that proximate surface waters and groundwater were being contaminated by these unlined ponds. In 2014, a Duke Energy Power Station accidentally dumped somewhere between 50,000 and 82,000 tons of it into the Dan River, the body of water that provides downstream drinking water to the likes of Danville, Virginia. Most of fly ash is sited in

dedicated “ponds.” “There is 50 to 75 years-worth of cleanup,” said Smith. “And there’s another 15 to 20 years of product being created.”

While some states, such as North Carolina (2016) have passed bills that mandate the closure of such ponds, efforts to do so have fallen short. Meanwhile, the state’s largest producer of the material sits a scant two miles from RJ Smith’s headquarters.

Fly ash is already in use in construction-grade concrete. But it is used in an untreated fashion. The ash is used in lieu of some portion of Portland cement, giving the benefits of less water needed in the mix while providing a product that is less permeable. What Smith and his crew have done is derived a way to replace the aggregate more effectively and efficiently in the concrete formula. Typically, the aggregate consists of sand or gravel.

At a high level, coal ash is trucked to the processing facility and loaded onto conveyers. It is treated and heated, transforming the ash into dark-grey blocks that resemble the cinder blocks that might make up your home’s foundation. Those blocks can be cut into varying sizes of aggregate.

The resultant product, which comes about because of change at the molecular level, is lighter (i.e., cheaper to transport) and stronger than typical aggregate. “We see value in it, because there is a need for it,” noted Smith.

The Virginia Research Council put the product to the test, analyzing it for two years before validating the company’s methodologies and the product, itself. “It was two years of [the VRC] trying to get to ‘no,’” said Smith. But we got them to “yes.” That affirmation was earned through the sweat and genius of those who work the dedicated laboratory on the grounds of RJ Smith Companies. Additionally, Smith has invested “millions of dollars” over the past five years toward vetting the research.

The commercial applications seem to have no bound, but an obvious one seems to be in the area of public transportation, where demand for concrete is high and additional government funding seems imminent, in fact, VDOT is using the product in two pilot projects this fall. With a global output of over 10 billion metric tons each year, there seems to be an abundant appetite for an innovation that lightens and strengthens the material. Meanwhile, Smith’s aggregate process holds the promise of providing relief from an environmental nemesis.

And, while Smith is no alchemist, what he and his crew have worked up certainly seems to be of pure gold.

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