Management
Russell R. Smith — Founder & Senior Managing Partner
An expert in helping both domestic and foreign firms create and expand business opportunities with the public and private sectors in the United States and across East Asia, Smith founded Third Coast International Group in June 2001. Originally Rothary Landis Group, the firm changed its name in May 2006 to reflect the growth of the firm and the establishment of new offices in Chicago and Seattle. He brings over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, global sales executive and senior government relations executive to his role as Managing Partner. His knowledge of the processes required to successfully penetrate public sector and international marketplaces plus his extensive political and executive relationships provide the firm's clientele with best-in-class market development capabilities. Throughout his career, Smith has generated aggregate program values on behalf of his clients that exceed U.S. $2.5 billion. He additionally has helped write numerous pieces of federal legislation that have positively impacted the technology and defense industries on a wide variety of issues.
Before founding Rothary Landis Group, Smith served as an Executive Team Member and Executive Vice President of Worldwide Sales for a leading provider of enterprise authentication and transaction risk management infrastructure for IP enabled supply chains and B2B / B2G transactional platforms. Smith was responsible for the company-wide development and direction of sales team activities and the execution of partnership and channel sales development. Significant successes included the conclusion of major reseller channel agreements with Fortune 50 technology firms and with providers of international electronic trading platforms including the US/Mexico Southwest Border Initiative, numerous B2B exchanges and a major Asian Trade Center Association.
Smith previously served for several years as the Technology Practice Group Director at a top five Washington, DC government relations firm. While there, Smith developed strategy for, executed and managed federal and state level programs that resulted in over $700 million in direct federal and state funding and program allocation for clients under his management.
His work on behalf of clients includes activities in the defense, technology, financial services, online security, healthcare, energy, privacy, insurance, manufacturing and not-for-profit arenas. Smith has also led and managed political activities on behalf of numerous Members of the U. S. Senate and House of Representatives as well as several state Governors.
Smith additionally brings several years of experience in the private sector as the founder, COO & CEO of two successful private firms in the real estate development industry. He has also served as an outside business process consultant to a number of startup technology firms. He additionally was the founder and President of GovernmentSource.com, the first comprehensive Active-X portal to federal and state government online resources.
He has served on the boards of directors for regional affiliates of the U. S. Chamber of Commerce and the National Association of Homebuilders, and was the founding member of the Internet Advisory Committee to the Partnership for a Drug-Free America. He serves on the National Steering Committees for senior Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U. S. Senate and remains actively involved in the political process at both the federal and state levels. He has also served on the Bi-National Board of Directors of the U. S. - Mexico Chamber of Commerce. His Public Speaking appearances have included the University of Chicago School of Business Administration, technology seminars, Christian business associations and the annual Spring Meeting of the global World Trade Center Association in Seoul, ROK. An avid outdoorsman, Smith is active in both alpine and backcountry skiing, backpacking, climbing and fly fishing, and is a Life Member of the National Rifle Association
Smith attended Westminster College in Fulton, MO and received his B.A. in History from the University of Montana. His undergraduate and graduate level studies in History and International Relations at the University focused upon Diplomatic History, Pre-Revolutionary / Soviet Russia and Arab Nationalism / Middle Eastern History.