About Us
Gregory B. Smith, Sr.
My passion is in coaching public speaking and serving clients as a business collaboration catalyst. I love connecting people, ideas and resources with a focus in personal/team development. Engaging others in their growth journey to be more effective leaders, by using my personal experiences and leadership studies keeps me energized.
Born into an entrepreneurial family in Youngstown, Ohio, I’ve had a front row seat to learn leadership and service from my grandfather and father’s stewardship of our family business.
Over the years, I’ve watched them successfully manage a diverse workforce during both good and bad economic times maintaining a 1% turnover rate. As the third-generation Chairman of the Board at Compco Industries, the steel products company my grandfather founded, I actualize both strategic and interpersonal leadership skills daily.
I am a life-long learner with a focus in communication best practices. I help others realize that true leaders must communicate clearly and persuasively if they hope to inspire great achievement. I’ve learned this from the best with personal coaching from industry leaders including; John C. Maxwell, Ken Davis, Anthony Robbins, Roger Love, Tom Ziglar, Jonathan Altfeld, Kymberlee Weil and Bo Eason.
As a TEDx speaker and current license holder for TEDxYoungstown, I continue to hone my speaking skills and coach others on the stage. In my first book, Speak Like a Pro…, I’ve compiled best practices and practical tips I treasure.
It excites me to share all that I’ve learned with college students, as I finish my third year as an instructor in the School of Communication at Youngstown State University. I teach classes in interpersonal and group dynamics and public speaking.
At YSU, I’m setting the stage to introduce new degree tracts; B.S. and M.S. in Public Speaking.
One of my highest honors, outside of my professional pursuits, was earning my sixth-degree black belt in Kenpo Martial Arts and serving on the board of directors for the Bruce Lee Foundation for 15 years.
Formal schooling:
Bachelor's degree in Business and Marketing from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, a Masters in Business Administration in Strengths Leadership from University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Gallup University. He is a current communications doctoral student at Liberty University.