A life of service: Smith marks 15 years as a county supervisor

By: 
Robert Maharry

If Barb Smith had a dollar for every time someone told her one of her ideas was crazy, she’d probably have enough capital to launch another business. But after a long, successful and still ongoing career in both the private and public sectors, it’s safe to argue that she’s managed to turn her wildest dreams into reality.
           
Smith, who represents Grundy Center on the county’s board of supervisors, recently hit the 15-year mark in that office, and she also notably served as the first female city council member in the community’s history—not to mention lengthy terms on the school board and the board of commissioners at Grundy County Memorial Hospital (GCMH). As the daughter of a regional veteran’s affairs director at a large office in St. Paul, Minnesota, Smith has had public service on her mind from a young age. 
           
“I always say that you get sworn in, and then you get sworn at. There’s the good with the bad, and it’s always tricky to navigate when you’re a business owner,” she said. “But I really feel in towns our size in Grundy County, we need to pay it forward. It’s a real privilege to live and raise a family here, and you need to work on behalf of your community to keep it moving in the right direction… you’re either moving in one direction or the other.”
           
After moving to Boone from the Twin Cities, graduating from college and landing a Family and Consumer Sciences (FCS) teaching job in Grundy Center, Smith became heavily involved with her adopted hometown almost immediately.
           
In the private sector, Smith and her late husband Richard have created some of the most iconic businesses in Grundy County: perhaps most notably, The Mill gas station on Highway 20, along with the Americinn Hotel, the Hallmark/As You Like It gift shop and a now-defunct clothing store located at the current home of Outlaw Fitness. Meticulous planning and a willingness to take risks have paid off in the long run.
           
“My husband sat up there by the (Mill) junction counting cars for days and hours to see if there was enough traffic,” she said. “His dream was to have a windmill, and the group of business owners decided that we’re going to do that.” 
 
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