After 15 years working as a project manager in construction around Syracuse, Eli Smith was laid off in 2011. With no income to support his family, he looked up to his father and uncles for inspiration each having a small business in construction, accounting or law.

“The entrepreneurial spirit was always inside me. I just didn’t know until I was forced to make that dive that that was what I wanted to do,” Smith said.

Later that year, Smith noticed the success of the international company 1-800-Got-Junk?, which, Smith said, was making about $180 million in sales. Along with one other person, he began his own trash removal company called So Gone Trash Removal.

Smith’s company has since expanded alongside his full-service construction company, E. Smith Contractors. With about 20 employees, his companies work across upstate New York spanning from Albany to Buffalo and even making its way to parts of northern Pennsylvania.

He recognizes his role models as a major factor in his success. Smith strives to be a role model for the young members in the Syracuse community who may not have those people to look up to.

“I think it’s important for anyone, but especially as a black man, to try and be an example and a role model for young people,” Smith said. “Because a lot of times in my community, because of whatever reasons, young men and young women are growing up without fathers and without direction.”

“I take it on as a challenge for myself, besides raising my own children, to make sure that I can show them a different avenue besides thinking that their only career could be in sports, or in singing or dancing or turning to a life of crime.”

Smith is on the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Syracuse and regularly focuses on presenting opportunities to young people through events like Hoops for Hope with the SU basketball team and a company picnic at Onondaga Park.

New York state Gov. Andrew Cuomo recognized E. Smith Contractors as a top New York state minority business in October 2016 by granting it the Award for Entrepreneurial Spirit and Achievement as a New York State-Certified Minority and Women-Owned Business Enterprise.

E. Smith Contractors is the only minority contractor in upstate New York that is bonded. When a business is bonded, it guarantees that the customer gets the service done correctly and shows a company can be trusted.

“We try to do some good things in the community and we try to make sure we are a good partner for those agencies that we work for,” Smith said.

After Smith completed an entrepreneurial course at Babson University in Boston. In early 2016, another CEO enrolled in the course offered him a free office space to expand his business to the Washington D.C. area until he started making a substantial amount of income. Although he was not looking to expand his business at the time, he described this as “a blessing in disguise.”

“I always believe that as an entrepreneur, you’ve got to be open to change and be open to multiple streams of revenue and building and fostering relationships that may come into your life every day,” Smith said.

As for the future of his company, he said he hopes to continue hiring millennials out of college. He works closely with State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry professor Ken Tiss to hire graduates who are trained for the industry. Smith believes what millennials may lack in experience, they make up for in creativity. As the company grows, he will continue to look at students studying in related programs at Syracuse University, SUNY-ESF, the University of Rochester and schools in D.C.

Smith emphasizes the importance of everyone understanding the company’s goals and how the company is working at all times, whether people are in the offices or out in the field. His team understands that although the Syracuse community would like to see small businesses like his grow, there is not enough work for them to stay solely in the Syracuse area.

“Hopefully in three years we will have a third office open in Charlotte, North Carolina,” Smith said. “And we are just going to continue to grow and be good partners for the clients that we work with on their projects.”

Published on February 1, 2017 at 11:27 pm

Contact Connor: cbfogel@syr.edu