University Philanthropy
Transformational gifts to UNC and ECU athletics — the largest in each school's history — through the Smith Family Foundation. Chris Smith Field at Kenan Memorial Stadium. The Grady-White Boats Athletic Campus at ECU.
Owner & CEO · Grady-White Boats · Since 1968
Eddie Smith Jr.
Five decades building one of America's most durable marine manufacturers — still privately held, still in Greenville, still on the water. NMMA Hall of Fame. Order of the Tar Heel. J.D. Power owner satisfaction, year after year.
In 1968, Eddie Smith Jr. — a 1965 Carolina graduate — acquired Grady-White Boats, then a small North Carolina fiberglass boatbuilder with limited reach. What followed was five decades of patient, building-oriented ownership: investing in hull design, dealer relationships, and the people of Greenville.
Grady-White grew into a brand known far beyond North Carolina. The SeaV² hull and Canyon series became signatures. J.D. Power ranked Grady-White among the top boatbuilders for owner satisfaction — a position the company held for years. In 2002, Eddie was inducted into the National Marine Manufacturers Association Hall of Fame.
The company employs hundreds of people in Pitt County and remains one of the largest private employers in the region. The recognition kept coming — the Rybovich Lifetime Conservation Award from The Billfish Foundation in 2013, and in 2026, the Order of the Tar Heel from the North Carolina Commissioner of Labor. None of it was the plan. All of it came from the same thing: building something worth keeping.
1968Acquired Grady-White
500+Employees in Greenville
Pitt CountyOne of largest private employers
J.D. PowerOwner satisfaction awards
NMMAHall of Fame, 2002
Privately held55+ years of ownership
Beyond Manufacturing
What comes next.
After five decades of building one company, the focus has expanded to conservation, education, and the institutions that make North Carolina stronger.
Coastal Conservation
Lifetime contributions to gamefish stewardship through The Billfish Foundation. Decades of advocacy for North Carolina waterway preservation and sportfishing access.
Community & Workforce
Pitt County economic development, skilled-trades training, and the people who build the boats. Former UNC Board of Trustees member and Rams Club chair.