About Us
Gregory B. Smith, Sr.
My passion is coaching public speaking and serving clients as a catalyst for business collaboration. I love connecting people, ideas, and resources with a focus on 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 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 strategic and interpersonal leadership skills daily.
I am a lifelong learner with a focus on communication best practices. I help others realize that true leaders must communicate clearly and persuasively to inspire outstanding 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 I’ve learned with college students as I finish my sixth year as an instructor in the School of Communication at Youngstown State University. I teach classes in interpersonal and group dynamics and 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, and a Master's in Business Administration in Strengths Leadership from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln/Gallup University.