St. Clair County Economic Development Council’s new executive director, Don Smith, is right. The agency is larger than just one person.

The strength of the organization that has been built over the years is due to an unrivaled cooperation among the county’s governments and the leaders that have guided the EDC.

Ed Gardner Sr., Ed Gardner Jr. and now, Smith, recognized the value early on in building teams and taking a regional approach to economic development. And their results are hard to argue with.

St. Clair County has benefited from phenomenal growth during their times at the helm, and the trend is likely to continue under Smith’s leadership. Smith has been serving as assistant director, managing such projects as WKW Erbsloeh in Pell City, Steele’s RainBird, the icademy for workforce development at Jefferson State Community College and other expansions of business across the county.

With a cohesive and visionary council and staff playing a supporting role, Smith has reason to be confident about the county’s prospects for the future.

Theirs is a model that others look to emulate. And it is larger than one person, but if you have to pick that one person to lead from this point forward, Smith is the natural choice.

His experience and his work ethic will serve him and the county well as it heads into the future.

We congratulate Smith on his new position, knowing that he leads an organization with an unquestionable track record that should continue an upward climb with his skill set leading the way.