Page 6 - Searcy Parks and Rec March 2015

EILISH PALMER/THREE RIVERS EDITION
Brian Smith, former director of the Searcy Parks and Recreation Department, stepped down from his position in January after 30 years. During his time in that capacity, Smith said, he saw upgrades to every aspect of the city’s park system.
By Wendy Miller
SPECIAL SECTIONS WRITER
In 30-plus years as the Searcy Parks and Recreation director, Brian Smith has played an instrumental role in advancing the offerings of the department. How- ever, anyone who knows or has worked
with Smith won’t be surprised to hear that his response to decades of success is simply, “It was not me doing all of this; it took a group and team effort.”
Smith, who retired in January, started with the Searcy Parks and Recreation Department in October 1984 and has seen facilities grow, parks expand and beneficial collaborations
occur during his tenure. Smith credits his staff for his success, but in turn, his staff credits him for being a strong leader and an under- standing supervisor, and most even call Smith a friend.
Terri Brannon, program coordinator for the department, considers Smith to be “the best boss” she has ever had. Jay Shock, former director of human resources and executive assistant to the mayor, said Smith can be de- scribed in many ways, but “reliable, straight- forward, notable and trustworthy” are a few terms he said fit Smith well.
“He is like a father figure to some of us,” said Mike Parsons, who recently stepped into Smith’s vacant position. “He is not just there
for you at work; he is also there if you need him after hours or on weekends.”
A WORKING PHILOSOPHY
For the first 15 years of Smith’s time with the depar tment, he was ver y hands on, mainly because of the small staff that was available at the time.What started as a staff of only five full-time employees has grown to the 18 full-time workers and the 10 to 12 part-time workers now employed there.
When the staff started to grow — as a result of expanding programs and facilities — Smith said, he learned to delegate responsi- bility, which was when he began to enact the philosophy that he said led to the “family-type
atmosphere” seen in the department today. “I’ve always wanted people to meet the requirements they have to meet within their family,” he said. “I have always had an easy manner in letting people work their sched- ules, and I think that has served me well and
established loyalty within my depar tment.”
GROWTH IN ALL ASPECTS
When Smith came to Searcy Parks and Recreation, there were big plans in the mak- ing, and he didn’t hesitate to jump on board. One of those plans was the construction of the Searcy Spor ts Complex.
“[The department] had grown to such an extent that there was a movement underfoot
30 years of
growth
Former Searcy Parks director reflects on time as department head
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