Bruce Smith

Bruce Smith is a veteran manufacturing executive with more than 30 years of leadership experience in manufacturing operations. They currently serve as the majority owner, chairman and chief executive officer of Detroit Manufacturing Systems LLC, a $1 billion vertically integrated value-add assembler. They also serve as a board member of Nikola Motor Company, a role they have held since 2020. Earlier in their career, they led Piston Group as chief executive officer, delivering a turnaround from a $600K loss to $8 million profit and securing $320 million in new business while launching two new facilities. Their education included attendance at the United States Air Force Academy Preparatory School (1980-1981), a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University (1985), and an MBA from Harvard Business School (1989).