As the founder and chairman of the Iowa-based company Agri-Industrial Plastics, Richard "Dick" Smith (60BSME) has leveraged his mechanical engineering degree to drive innovation through sustainable plastic manufacturing. In recognition of the impact the University of Iowa College of Engineering has had on his 37-year career, as well as his commitment to developing the next generation of Iowa engineers, Smith and his wife Judy (61BS, education) recently donated $7.7 million to the college. This gift will endow the deanship as the Dick and Judy Smith Dean of the College of Engineering and support facility enhancements, including many of the college’s dynamic student lab spaces.
“Judy and I are honored to support the UI College of Engineering,” said Smith. “My time in the college had a transformative impact on my career as an engineer, and we are excited about Dean McKenna’s vision for the college’s excellence now and in the future. We are proud to help her achieve her goals of fostering research innovation and enhancing student support.”
Smith was an ROTC and Greek system leader as a student before serving as a 1st lieutenant in the U.S. Army from 1960-1962. After returning to the U.S., Smith founded Agri-Industrial Plastics in Fairfield, Iowa. The company is a leading manufacturer specializing in large-scale industrial parts, including non-automotive fuel tanks for the turf equipment, power sports, agricultural, and marine industries.
A dedicated philanthropist, Smith has given generously to organizations such as the Fairfield Area Chamber of Commerce and the Fairfield Economic Development Association, as well as his family’s church and school district, Habitat for Humanity, and the UI Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center. He has received numerous honors, including the Fairfield Entrepreneurial Award, the Legends Award in Manufacturing from the Iowa Association of Business and Industry, the Society of Plastic Engineers Lifetime Achievement Award, and most recently, the UI Center for Advancement’s Eight Over 80 Award.
“We are tremendously grateful to the Smiths for their investment in our college’s future,” said College of Engineering Dean Ann McKenna. “This gift speaks to the ways in which our alumni look back on their time at Iowa as a defining period in their engineering careers. The Smiths’ gift will ensure that we can continue to offer an engineering education that positions our alumni to develop new technologies, while also supporting world-class faculty and cutting-edge research that advance the quality of life for people everywhere.”