Title
To commemorate Columbus City Council’s 2019 Black History Program by honoring and celebrating the lifetime achievements and contributions of Mr. Lewis Smoot as a transformational leader in the business sector.
Body
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus and the members of Columbus City Council are proud to honor and celebrate the legends, legacies, and trailblazers of this community as they represent the prosperity and the transformational leadership that has come to define the tradition of excellence that is Columbus; and
WHEREAS, Columbus City Council’s 2019 Black History Program is proud to honor the legacy and transformational leadership of Mr. Lewis Smoot as a shining light in the business sector and the Columbus community at large; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Lewis Smoot is being recognized for his accomplishments in the business sector because of his company’s more than six decades of growth and experience in general contracting, design-build, and construction management - Smoot Construction has created a legacy of excellence and a reputation for hard work and high standards - now entering the third generation of family leadership, the Smoot Construction team is known for professionalism, quality, and honesty-forging employee and client relationships that has spanned decades; and
WHEREAS, Lewis R. Smoot, Sr., began working with his father and founder of the business, Sherman R. Smoot, at age 13 as a water boy on Smoot Construction jobsites - Lewis Sr. earned a degree in Construction Management from Michigan State University and subsequently completed two years working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers - later, he joined the family firm in 1958 and took the helm from his father in 1974 to lead Smoot Construction from a small masonry subcontractor to a full service general construction company known nationally for quality and ethical values; and
WHEREAS, Lewis R. Smoot, Sr. has been recognized for his involvement with training the unemployed in the construction trades, mentoring minority entrepreneurs, building and rehabilitating low-income housing and sponsoring summer camps for youth - as Chairman and CEO, he continues to provide guidance and vision for the company as it advances into the third generation of Smoot family leadership - in 2017 Lewis R. Smoot, Sr., Mark S. Cain, and Lewis R. Smoot, Jr. and the Smoot Company were honored for their leadership in constructing the National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, DC, the company served as the construction manager for the project, now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby honor and celebrate the lifetime achievements and contributions of Mr. Lewis Smoot and present him with the 2019 James Preston Poindexter Award for being a Shining Light and Transformational Leader in the business sector.