Enoch Smith has been a staple at DSC for 47 years and there’s no place else he’d rather be. He and his siblings—Nate and Teresa—are the fourth generation of the Smith family to run the company.
Enoch grew up watching his dad go to work at the family company every day and says that his family’s construction business is in his blood. As a young child, he was excited when he got to go to work with his dad. “They were a bunch of friendly, skilled, neat salt-of-the-earth guys,” he remembers, “and they would include me in whatever they were doing and let me get in the equipment.” Sometimes, he says, it was hard to watch the guys working and not be able to do it (because he was too young).
When Enoch turned 13, he started on his first DSC crew, digging and crumbing ditches, grading, and whatever needed to be done. As a young man, he used his work pulling sprinkler wires at an 18-hole golf course as a workout. Over the ensuing 40+ years, he has done almost any kind of job you can imagine, including taking the helm to help run the company.
His role today involves bidding and estimating, organizing the crews, and every other aspect of running the business. He and Nate meet each morning at 5 a.m. to brainstorm and get things ready for the day ahead. “I’m pretty much involved in every aspect with my brother, sister and two nephews,” he explains. “We try to keep our hands on everything from A to Z around here.”
But make no mistake about it, no matter how long he’s here or what responsibilities he has in the office, he’d still rather be outside working in the dirt with the crew. A huge grin appears when he says, “I would much rather be out working with the crew than in the office. The days are a lot shorter when you’re outdoors working.”
Whether he’s trying to figure out what he needs to get a job done or how to do things safer, better, and quicker, Enoch welcomes the everyday challenges of the construction business. He explains that he enjoys the demands of coming up with new ways to do different things, but he and his family always put their crews first. “We try to be creative, but our #1 priority is keeping our workers safe; sometimes that means having to turn down a job that is too risky.”
No matter what challenges or issues arise, Enoch knows that he and his family will solve them together—and he wouldn’t have it any other way. He says he was lucky to have the opportunity to watch his dad and uncles run the company and couldn’t be happier working side-by-side with his siblings and nephews now. “I’m extremely fortunate to have my family here,” he explains. “I watch a lot of people who aren’t as lucky to work with family. Our dad brainwashed us on how to work together from day one and we get along great. It makes a great day when you work with your sister and brother and nephews.” He also says that the family feeling goes beyond bloodlines, “Our team also feels like family. Some of them have been here as long as I have and we have evolved and grown together.”
Enoch credits the company’s success and his satisfaction with “loving what you do.” He tells his daughter that no matter what you do for a living, you better like it or you aren’t going to last. After all, “Work is taxing and challenging, and most people don’t leave work “at the office” or “in the field,” they take it home with them. It’s ever-present and you spend most of your waking hours doing it, so it has to be worth it.”
For Enoch Smith, his career was a no-brainer. “I always knew that this is what I wanted to do. There was no second place.” And he’s thrilled that his nephews (Nate’s boys), who are going to school and participating in the company’s apprentice program now, will keep the 80-year family tradition alive. “My nephews are really brilliant, and they are going to apply that in the company. They’ve both decided to carry on here and that’s more exciting than anything.”
No matter how much Enoch loves what he does, he looks forward to spending time with his family and keeping up with his hobbies in his “down time.” One thing he likes to do is to hop on his mountain bike and head for the hills. He explains that it is something he’s done for a long time, “I grew up mountain biking year-round even before it was cool, and I still enjoy taking my trail bike up in the foothills to see deer at night.” He also enjoys working on cars, keeping his family’s vehicles in tip top shape by doing the service work himself. On the weekends, he can be found boating and spending quality time with his wife and daughter.
Please join us in congratulating Enoch Smith on his long and successful career with DSC and wishing him continued success in the years to come!