About Rick Smith - Democratic Candidate for Ohio State Rep District 54

Rick Smith: A Democrat Even Your Father Would Like!

I probably have one of the most diverse backgrounds of any politician you are voting for this fall. I’ve worked with a lot of different types of people, in a wide range of industries, and for both large and small business. The secrets to my success have been being a very quick study, developing good listening skills, and approaching my job as one of service to my customers and colleagues. With these skills, there is nothing that might come before me in the State Legislature that I won’t be ready to tackle.

I’ll be 55 years old when I am sworn in to be your Representative. I have lived in the Greater Cincinnati area since 1987. I first got to know Warren County in 2006 during my campaign for the Ohio State Senate (7^th District, currently held by Shannon Jones). I moved to Mason in 2010 to start a family with my partner Kim and her son, who attends Mason City Schools. I did not have any children in my first marriage (1990-2005…and yes, we are still friends), so it has been great learning how to be a Step-Dad.

I was born in Buffalo, New York but lived in 5 different cities by age 11, when my Father decided to quit his job at Esso (now Exxon Mobil), settle in North Carolina, and start his own business. I mowed lawns until I was old enough to work summers in my Father’s tire retreading factory. It was hot and dirty work, but it paid better than minimum wage, and I remember it fondly.

I received my Bachelor's degree in Politics from Princeton University in 1981. My first jobs out of college were volunteering for the North Carolina Democratic Party and a successful Congressional campaign. I was invited to Washington as a Legislative intern, helping the Congressman research issues and respond to constituent inquiries. Unfortunately, Capitol Hill does not pay very well, so I left to join the business world, working for Michael Evans, one of the preeminent economists of the 1970's and 1980's.

In 1985 I went to Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania and graduated with an MBA in 1987. With this training, I was proud to be able to help my father with more than just my physical labor – I helped him develop an inventory management program that allowed him to reduce his overhead. I was recruited to Cincinnati by The BASES Group, a division of SAMI/Burke. After six years of consulting with companies like Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson forecast demand for their new products, I moved to Cincinnati Bell Telephone to help them with their efforts to market to businesses and to get a more sophisticated understanding of their customers’ telecommunications usage.

In 1996, I got the entrepreneurial bug, and ran a small business which developed hardware and software for medical research scientists. It was over the next 4 years running this small business that I received my second MBA from the "school of hard knocks". I definitely understand the struggle and potential of small businesses.

In 2000, I joined a large Internet consulting company. After a bursting Internet Bubble and two bankruptcies later, what remained was a small (the Cincinnati office shrunk from nearly 500 people to fewer than 30), but highly effective Internet consulting firm. My practice focused on developing internet marketing strategies and measuring customer interactions. My major clients again were Procter & Gamble and Johnson & Johnson.

After the 2004 election I decided that rhetoric and corruption were winning in politics, and I decided to do something about it. I became active in politics by acting as a campaign manager and treasurer for local campaigns and running myself for State Senate.

After the election my campaign webmaster (who is a Republican) asked me to help him start a non-profit to thank Veterans for their service to the country. At first I questioned whether just thanking Veterans would make a difference. He assured me that it would, and how right he was! I became a founding board member of The Thank You Foundation, which provided recognition and material support to thousands of Veterans. We must never allow our country to do what it did to the heroes who fought in the Vietnam War. It doesn’t matter whether you are a Republican or Democrat, whether you agree with a war or not…what we can all agree on is that those who are willing to put themselves in the service of this nation deserve our support.

Since 2007, I have continued my internet work as a contractor with the IT consulting firm Fusion Alliance. I am also a partner in a very exciting start-up alternative wellness company which develops products to help people reduce their stress and pain. See www.myserenitybox.com.

Princeton University has an unofficial motto: "Princeton in the nation's service and the service of all nations". Returning to public service so many years and fulfilling that pledge is very important to me. Please spend some time on this site. If you agree with my message, I ask you for your support and for your vote in November.

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