Columbus minority business 'giant' Lewis Smoot Sr. mourned after passing

Lewis R. Smoot Sr., a "giant" in the Columbus business and minority communities, has died at age 90.

Smoot built his father's masonry company, Smoot Construction, into one of the largest minority-owned firms in the state while serving for decades as a mentor and leader in the city's Black community. He died on Saturday.

"He was a gentle giant — ethical, principled, hard-working," said Columbus attorney and civic leader Larry James. "This is a big loss in a long line of giants in the Black community and Black leadership."

Smoot was 13 when he started hauling water on jobsites for Smoot Construction, the masonry company founded by his father, Sherman R. Smoot, in Charleston, West Virginia.

After graduating with a degree in construction management at Michigan State University and serving two years in the U.S. Army Corps. of Engineers, Smoot joined his father's firm in 1958, two years after his father relocated to Columbus.

"I always planned to be in the family business," Smoot told The Dispatch in a 1996 profile. "My father made sure it was a firm of reputation, ethics, quality and integrity."

By the 1970s, Smoot shifted the company's focus from masonry to general contracting, and in 1974 took over as CEO. Under his leadership, the firm grew significantly, opening offices in Indianapolis and Washington, D.C., and tackling ever-larger projects.

Among the firm's best-known Columbus-area projects are the renovations of the Ohio Statehouse and Ohio Supreme Court buildings; the Mall at Tuttle Crossing; the Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital; the King Arts Complex; the Ohio Union building at Ohio State University; and Chalmers Library at Kenyon College. Joint-venture projects include the Hilton hotel tower and Lower.com stadium in Columbus, and the National Air and Space Museum and National Museum of African American History in Washington, D.C.

Beyond his business career, Smoot was engaged in countless business and civic activities, especially efforts to help young Black residents get their start in business and professional life.

"I can remember him pulling me and a few other 20- and 30-somethings together and talking to us about what it takes to be successful as African-Americans," recalled former Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman. "That mentorship was so meaningful to me. ...

"I can’t tell you how valuable he was to all people. He had a huge influence on my life and my direction. He guided me along the way in so many things both personal and professional. I valued him, and I know I'm not the only one. There's dozens and dozens of business and community leaders that he has influenced over the years. His footprint in our city is unmatched."

Larry James recalled getting a call out of the blue from Smoot shortly after James was involved in a controversial case early in his career.

"He told me, 'Never be afraid to do the right thing,' " James said. "I was in way over my head, and he was a calming voice."

Smoot's long list of business and civic activities include serving as a director of Huntington Bancshares, on the board of M/I Homes, as a member of the Mount Carmel Hospital Foundation board and as a Franklin University trustee. He co-chaired the Columbus Community Relations Commission and sat on the Ohio State University President's Business Advisory Council.

While Smoot passed the reigns of his family's company to his son, Lewis Smoot Jr., in 2021, he remained Chairman Emeritus of the firm until his death.

"His word, his wisdom and his experience was unlike anybody I've been around," Coleman said. "He will be missed. We need more Lewis Smoots."

jweiker@dispatch.com

@JimWeiker

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Lewis Smoot Sr., Columbus business and civic leader, dies at age 90