Meet the Staff: Trevor Smith, Senior VP of Economic Development

Trevor Smith is the Corridor's Senior Vice President of Economic Development. As Senior VP, Trevor leads entrepreneurship, workforce recruitment, and partner relations through programming and events, and he is the contact for available sites & buildings and small business support. Trevor hit the ground running on the Corridor team starting in November 2023.

What is your favorite part of the job?

My favorite part of the job is building relationships with people and businesses all throughout the Corridor. We have so many great people in our region that care about growing and building better communities, so having a part in that brings me joy.

What show/podcast/book are you currently consuming?
Lately my wife and I have been watching the tv show Yellowstone.

How did you get involved in Economic Development?
Economic development is something that I recently got involved in. I was hired in November, and my previous career was being a college basketball coach. What drew me in to the career was a lot of the same reasons I enjoyed being a coach: I loved the relationship building, problem solving, and community building aspects that are involved in economic development. The Iowa Lakes Corridor is where I grew up and I always wanted to return home and start a family here.

The best advice I’ve ever been given is…
“Keep the main thing, the main thing.” With all the distractions of today’s world it is easy to get off track. When I was a young college basketball coach I had an older coach tell me this one day and it has stuck with me since. It is simple advice but effective as an everyday reminder. 

What do you see is a top strength of our region?
Our biggest strength is connectivity between counties. We have so many people who live in one county and work in another as well as businesses who are based in one county but serve all throughout the Corridor. A rising tide lifts all ships and that is also true with successes of each county throughout the Corridor.  

If you had to choose one, Pizza, Burgers, or Tacos?
Tacos for sure! There is nothing better than a carne asada street taco!