Driven to Deliver, 2nd Edition: 9 Keys for Going the Distance in Life and Business

From the Foreword by David S. Dockery:"Harry Smith is one of the wisest men I have ever had the privilege to know... My prediction is that you will greatly benefit as well, as you work your way through this book... My own life is better because of time spent with the author of this book. The lessons to be gained here regarding faith, family, and finances, among other things, are valuable and worthy of serious reflection... The fascinating story of how these life lessons were gained along the way in the circumstances of Harry's life certainly provides interesting reading. The biographical account, however, merely provides the framework for the sharing of these valuable lessons...."

HARRY SMITH first showed his entrepreneurial spirit at the age of nine when he began delivering newspapers on a bicycle in his hometown of Florence, Alabama. Through his school years he expanded his paper routes and paid his way through college. After graduating from the University of North Alabama, Harry spent 16 years as a CPA in Florence. In 1980, at the age of 37, he became co-owner and president of Schilling Enterprises in Memphis, Tennessee, a corporation with companies that included automobile dealerships, real estate, trucking, HVAC, and auto parts. In a struggling economy, Harry engineered a financial reversal that rescued the Schilling companies from bankruptcy and transformed them into profitable businesses. Since selling the last of the companies in 2005, Harry has focused on giving back to the community by serving on for-profit and not-for-profit boards in the areas of health care, education, religion, manufacturing, transportation, and banking. With his partner, Boyle Investment Company, Harry is developing 448 acres for mixed use in Collierville, Tennessee. He recently sold a saddle manufacturing company in Texas. At the University of Memphis, he serves as Executive-in-Residence at the Fogelman College of Business and Economics. Harry has been married to Mary Elizabeth (Beth) Smith for 50 years. They have a daughter, Leslie, who is married to Rex Jones, and three grandsons: Barrett, Harrison, and Walker Jones. Barrett was on the University of Alabama football team that won the 2009 BCS National Championship title. Barrett and his brother Harrison were on the Alabama teams that won the 2011 and 2012 National Championship titles. Their brother Walker joined the Alabama football team in May 2013. Harry serves as a deacon at Bellevue Baptist Church. He holds an honorary doctorate from Union University in Jackson, Tennessee. In 2004 he was inducted into the Society of Entrepreneurs.