Roger Smith (executive)

Roger Bonham Smith (July 12, 1925 – November 29, 2007) was the Chairman and CEO of General Motors Corporation from 1981 to 1990, and is widely known as the main subject of Michael Moore's 1989 documentary film Roger & Me.

Smith seemed to be the last of the old-line GM chairmen, a conservative anonymous bureaucrat, resisting change. However, propelled by industry and market conditions, Smith oversaw some of the most fundamental changes in GM's history. When Smith took over GM, it was reeling from its first annual loss since the early 1920s. Its reputation had been tarnished by lawsuits, persistent quality problems, bad labor relations, public protests over the installation of Chevrolet engines in Oldsmobiles, and by a poorly designed diesel engine. GM was also losing market share to foreign automakers for the first time.

Deciding that GM needed to completely change its structure in order to be competitive, Smith instituted a sweeping transformation. Initiatives included divisional consolidation, forming strategic joint ventures with Japanese and Korean automakers, launching the Saturn division, investing heavily in technological automation and robotics, and attempting to rid the company of its risk-averse bureaucracy. However, Smith's far-reaching goals proved too ambitious to be implemented effectively in the face of the company's resistant corporate culture. Despite Smith's vision, he was unable to successfully integrate GM's major acquisitions and failed to tackle the root causes of GM's fundamental problems.

B. Smith

Barbara Elaine Smith (born August 24, 1949), known as B. Smith, is an American restaurateur, model, author, and television host.

Early life and education

Smith was raised in Scottdale, Pennsylvania and attended Southmoreland High School. Her mother Florence was a maid and her father William a steelworker.

Career

Model

Smith was the first black model to be on the cover of Mademoiselle magazine in the 1970s.

Restaurateur

Smith owns multiple restaurants, called B. Smith; the first opened in 1986, on Restaurant Row (Manhattan) and in Sag Harbor, Long Island, New York. She also owned a restaurant in the historic Beaux-Arts Union Station in Washington, D.C.; in September 2013, it was reported that restaurant would close.

Retailer

Smith’s interest in décor and restaurant design led to the development of her first home collection, which debuted at Bed Bath & Beyond in Spring 2001. She also launched a line of serveware in 2004. In Spring 2007, Smith debuted her first furniture collection with the La-Z-Boy company Clayton Marcus.