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Smith is standout pro in Winston-Salem

By Katie Beaver
The Winston-Salem Journal

Jeffrey Smith didn't set out to be famous.

The paralegal from Winston-Salem was just a face in the crowd five years ago, enjoying life in his hometown after spending four years at nearby Elon College (now University). But that was before the weekly magazine column and television spot, the daily radio time and the biweekly appearances on the Winston-Salem Journal's web site.

Smith is the author of Smitty's Community Notes, a biweekly e-mail newsletter that reaches more than 7,000 people in the Winston-Salem area. His writings about community events and his role as an unofficial ambassador for young professionals have brought him attention from the media and the public, much to his surprise.

"This all started as an accident," Smith said. "It was friends e-mailing each other because they needed to find things to do over the weekend. We reached a consensus that someone needed to point out to folks what's happening."

What started as an informal e-mail group of about 10 people soon evolved into a mailing list that served 5,000 people directly. Those 5,000 people in turn forwarded the newsletter to 2,000 more people. In addition, Smith's web site, www.smittysnotes.com, receives an average of 10,000 page impressions per month.

"I am pleasantly surprised. I didn't expect it to turn out like this," Smith said. "I'm riding the wave of opportunity."

Smith's opportunities have come in droves, with a variety of weekly media appearances to his credit. However, his main concern continues to be the welfare of the Winston-Salem community and its young people.

Winston-Salem has always had a lot to offer young professionals in their 20s and 30s, Smith explains, but people were missing out because they didn't know about many of the opportunities.

"Before I started my notes, people were getting information in a lot of different ways, if they were getting it at all," Smith said. "I packaged everything together so it would be easier."

Smith calls his newsletter "push-out technology" because it sends more information to more people than most services. "There is always room for growth," Smith said. "It takes the general public to seek out opportunities and make them happen. We have to support what is already in place."

Some of the opportunities, Smith says, are with volunteer organizations such as the Piedmont Opera and the Arts Council and downtown development projects such as Alive After Five and Fourth Street Jazz.

With his newsletter's popularity on the rise, Smith devised another way to reach out to Winston-Salem residents. Called "Evening with Eight - Plus Smitty!," the event gathers eight to 16 people together for evenings of dinner, talking and guest speakers.

"I love connecting people who otherwise wouldn't be connected," Smith said. "This is a way to get people together with other people just like them, and show them that they aren't the only ones around here."

Smith borrowed his idea from similar associations called dinner introduction clubs, which are popular in cities such as Washington, D.C., Denver and Charlotte. He put his own twist on the clubs by introducing a guest speaker, who can be anyone of social, economic or political prominence in Winston-Salem. The speakers and dinner guests share ideas and information about Winston-Salem and how the city can reach out to young people more effectively.

Elizabeth Haynie had lived in Winston-Salem for a year when she signed up for Evening with Eight. She wanted to meet new people and have an outlet outside of work, she says.

"Evening with Eight was a worthwhile experience," Haynie said. "The uniqueness of eight strangers getting together to have dinner and share stories is unparallel to any other social event in this area. Jeff saw a need for social interaction within the city of Winston and he did something about it."

The group meets every other week for three months, and two groups meet each year. Although they are nervous and quiet at first, Smith says, the group members are relaxed and confident by the end of the first dinner. "Sometimes I have to pry them away," Smith said with a laugh. "I say, ÔGuys, we all have to work tomorrow! It's time to go home.'"

Smith says new friendships and business contacts are two important outcomes of the dinner meetings. Two people who met at his first dinner are now engaged to be married.

"Every individual is so vastly different that when you bring all of those differences to one table for one evening, something enjoyable is bound to happen," Haynie said. "I think Evening with Eight is a stroke of genius, as it is a concept to aid in getting people out and meeting other people."

Newcomers and 20-year residents socialize in the dinner groups, resulting in an eclectic array of viewpoints and ideas on city improvement. Anyone who lives in the city can enroll by visiting Smith's Web site.

Smith has drawn the attention of several Winston-Salem officials, including former Mayor Jack Cavanagh, who appointed Smith to a task force committed to improving the lives of young people in Winston-Salem. The outcome of the task force has been beneficial, Smith says.

"I think things are better now," Smith said. "We're starting to see people stick around because there are more opportunities for them."

Two major concerns of many young people in Winston-Salem are job availability and advancement, Smith says. The mayor and other business leaders are working on the job situation, he adds, especially with the development of the biotechnical industry.

"A lot of people I talk to want to stay but they don't have many choices for career growth," Smith said. "In the past six months to a year, optimistic things have been happening. What we were talking about two years ago is happening now. That encourages everybody."