Never one to shy away from hard work, during high school Randy was employed at an architecture firm in the evenings after school and at a fast food restaurant on the weekends. Junior and Senior year often included 40 hour work weeks in addition to his school work. After graduation, Randy attended Virginia Tech where he received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering. Appreciating the value of hands-on training, and the need to help pay for his education, Randy worked on nuclear submarines at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard as part of the cooperative education program. The engineering degree led to a job offer from what is now Framatome and sent Randy to live in Alabama for three years (where he met his bride to be).
Around 2013, Randy was able to slowly transition from job-site work to creating his own small business that revolved around his passion for woodworking. He opened a woodshop in Midtown, Hill City Hardwoods, that sells lumber to other woodworkers. It was obvious from the beginning that it was important to build a sense of community within the shop and his second business, The Craft Crucible, was opened to provide space to other artisans trying to turn their craft into a career. Small businesses and their direct, positive impact on the local economy became more important to Randy with each passing year. He continues to own and operate both businesses and now counts no less than 10 small businesses directly supported by the shop space and surrounding buildings. Multiple woodworking businesses also attribute a small part of their success to friendships, shared knowledge, and shared resources found at Hill City Hardwoods.
The corporate, white collar work continued with Framatome for another 14 years in Lynchburg. However, in 2008 Randy’s working class upbringing and blue collar sensibilities pulled him out of the cube into construction where he helped renovate and remodel homes for the next several years. During this time Randy developed his deep appreciation for work in the trades and its great potential to provide long lasting, stable, well paying jobs for those who aren’t financially able or interested in the college career path.
Over time, the community building that occurred inside the shop could no longer remain within its walls. As Randy developed friendships in his woodshop neighborhood, it became more apparent that his effort to help others should not be limited and he began to take on small community engagement projects as his time and budget allowed. With the help of his contacts at several amazing non-profit organizations, better housing has been secured for several neighbors. Art, previously limited to the downtown area, was placed in the most unlikely of places, benefiting those who live in the area, working class folks who may not have the time, extra money, or sense of belonging, to attend an opening at a museum. Now Randy hopes to continue this community building effort at the next level where he will roll up his sleeves and do the hard work of creating a better Lynchburg for everyone.
Equity FOR ALL
Randy Smith was born in Okinawa, Japan and was raised in Richmond, Virginia where he attended public schools all the way through to his graduation from Henrico High School (go Warriors). Lynchburg, and in particular Ward I, has been home to Randy and his wife, Jeanell, for the last 30 years. They have a daughter, Sophie, who was born at Virginia Baptist, attended Bedford Hills Elementary, Linkhorne Middle, and EC Glass. She graduated from George Mason University and currently resides in Forest.
