Gerrick Smith

Gerrick Smith is the Further Processing Manager at Peco Foods in Batesville, Arkansas, where he leads a large workforce across three shifts while driving safety, quality, operational excellence, and continuous improvement. He is passionate about building high-performing teams, developing future leaders, and creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement. A United States Marine Corps veteran, Gerrick served in Afghanistan and Japan, experiences that shaped his commitment to accountability, teamwork, and leading by example. He is a 2025 graduate of the Batesville Leadership Program and is currently pursuing a degree in Business Management to continue growing as a leader. 

A devoted husband and father of two, Gerrick is passionate about investing in both his family and his community. He and his wife became licensed foster parents to provide a permanent, stable home for his younger siblings, ensuring they grew up together surrounded by family. For the past five years, Gerrick has coached youth baseball, basketball, softball, soccer, and football, using sports as a way to teach teamwork, character, and resilience. Through his coaching, foster care experience, and volunteer work with the John Herman Hickman Foundation, he is committed to helping disadvantaged youth across Arkansas discover opportunities to succeed and reach their full potential. 

Having overcome significant adversity early in life, Gerrick believes leadership is about serving others, developing future leaders, and leaving every organization and community stronger than he found it. He is committed to developing leaders who invest in people, strengthen their communities, and leave a lasting impact on Arkansas’s future. Through Leadership Arkansas, Gerrick looks forward to building meaningful relationships with leaders across the state, broadening his perspective, and collaborating on solutions that strengthen Arkansas’s communities, businesses, and future generations.