Meet Barb Smith

Barb Smith is the President and Majority Owner of Journey Steel, Inc. founded in 2009. She is a native of Cincinnati, Ohio and the youngest of eight children. 

She was educated in the Cincinnati Public Schools system before attending and receiving her Bachelor of Science degree in Industrial Technology with a Construction Specialty from Eastern Michigan University.  

Ms. Smith is the mother of two young men and the grandmother of one beautiful grandson.  She gained 6 years of construction experience right out of college working with Barton-Malow Construction, Wm Cargile Contractors, and D.A.G. Construction as a Project Manager and Estimator. Barb added 18 years of architectural and engineering experience working with Jacobs Engineering and Hixson Architects & Engineers as a Senior Estimator, before starting Journey Steel, Inc. in 2009.  

She has graduated from the Urban League of Greater Cincinnati (ULGC) African American Business Development Program (AABDP Class 10 – Kaufman Track), Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Business Program at Babson College and the SBA Emerging Leaders Class (Interise Track) Ms. Smith currently sits on the advisory boards of the Reds Community Fund and the Urban League of Southwest Ohio.  She also co-founded Journeys Soaring Impact, a non-profit geared towards providing inner-city high-school seniors year-round paid, hands-on training in the field of ironworking. Ms. Smith is the recipient of the 2016 Journey Award for Economic Empowerment and Entrepreneurship.  She is in the 2017 Class of Women Who Mean Business and her company has received numerous awards for community impact including being named two years in a row as one of the top 100 fastest growing inner-city businesses by ICIC listed in Fortune Magazine.  

Most recently Barb was invited to the White House and participated in a Roundtable discussion with President Trump, Vice-President Pence and members of the President’s Cabinet to discuss regulations and their effect on small, minority and women-owned businesses.  

Ms. Smith is active in her local church serving as head usher and a member of the church leadership team. Barb is also an enthusiastic and die-hard Cincinnati Reds and Bengals fan.