Dan Smith

Dan Smith is Chief Executive Officer of Watco Companies, a role he has held since July 2018. Dan’s career with Watco started in 2009 with him spearheading the purchase of Greens Port Industrial Terminals, the largest multi-tenanted industrial park on the Gulf Coast. Since that time he has taken on several roles of increasing responsibility. Prior to being named CEO, he was Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. Over the past 11 years, Dan has driven significant performance improvements for Watco. Under his leadership, Watco has achieved more than $1 billion of annual revenue through strategic planning and acquisitions. His vision and operational direction have been the driving force behind the successful integration of more than 150 new business locations since 2015. Dan has strengthened Watco’s safety culture and played an instrumental role in developing Watco’s Safety and Training Center, which provides team members with standardized training to safely perform their duties. Dan’s unwavering commitment to innovation and results led him to successfully realign operations, sales, safety, and marketing to better serve their customers. Dan is a member of the 2020 class of “50 Kansans You Should Know” presented by Ingram’s magazine, a business publication covering Kansas and Missouri. As for the team culture that Watco is known for, it’s only natural that Dan helps inspire it. He’s drawing on 12 years as a pitcher with five Major League Baseball organizations.