VJ Smith

V.J. Smith

This motivational author and speaker has attained great fame throughout the nation with his book entitled The Richest Man in Town.   He moves audiences from laughter to tears as he speaks about real life people who are making a  difference in the world one “Thank You” at a time!

V.J. Smith has been a professional speaker for more than a decade.  Traveling much of the United States and Canada, Smith has brought his motivational message before businesses, associations, schools, and more.

His Speaking Topics Include:
The Richest Man in Town
Simple Choices, Big Rewards
Got Goals?:  A Personal Journey
Pants on Fire
The Exceptional Employee

BIOGRAPHY
Over the course of his life, V.J. Smith has been involved in several different career-types.  He was a bill collector, a solar collector salesman, and a fundraiser all in a short amount of time.  In commenting, V.J. said, “Being a child of the early ‘70s, it took me a little while to figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”  Nevertheless, his experience in several different careers has given him the ability to speak from a variety of stand points and speak in a way that touches every person in a unique way.

Smith honed his speaking skills through his membership in Toastmaster’s International.  On two occasions he was a finalist in that organization’s ‘World’s Championship of Public Speaking.’

A 1978 graduate of South Dakota State University, Smith spent the decade of the 1980s working for the Allied Signal Aerospace Company in Kansas City, MO.  He returned to his alma mater in 1990 to serve as Assistant Athletic Director for the SDSU athletic program.  He was appointed Executive Director of the SDSU Alumni Association in 1996 and resigned from that position in January 2007.

Smith is the author of the book, The Richest Man in Town and Jackrabbit Tales.