Robert Smith is President and CEO of Spero-Smith Investment Advisers, Inc. Spero-Smith is a registered investment advisory firm providing independent investment advice, asset management, and financial planning consultations to high net-worth individuals, foundations, and retirement plans. The firm is the successor company to Spero Financial Services and has been helping clients organize their financial lives and achieve their financial goals since 1972.
Mr. Smith offers more than 30 years of experience in investing, finance, accounting, management and marketing. Prior to joining Spero-Smith, he was chief investment officer of an investment advisory firm he co-founded in 1988.
In July 2007, Ohio Governor Ted Strickland appointed Bob to the Board of Directors for the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation as an investment and securities expert; he was reappointed to this position in 2009. Mr. Smith was appointed to the board of the Cleveland-Cuyahoga County Port Authority in 2007 by Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson. In 2004, Ohio Governor Bob Taft appointed Bob to the Ohio Public Employees Retirement System as an Investment Expert where he chaired its Investment Committee; he served on this board until August 2007. He also serves on the board of the Motorists Insurance Group.
Mr. Smith is frequently consulted by local print and broadcast media as a commentator on the economy, financial markets and investments. He is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of ideastream® (WVIZ/WCPN) and Ohio Northern University and serves on the board and executive committee of the Greater Cleveland Partnership and the board of Lake Ridge Academy.
Additionally, Mr. Smith serves on the Investment Committee of The Cleveland Foundation and chairs the Investment Committee for United Way Services-Greater Cleveland. Previously, Mr. Smith served as Chairman of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association where he championed the merger of the Greater Cleveland Growth Association and Cleveland Tomorrow. He is the former Chairman of COSE, and past president of the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Northeast Ohio.
Mr. Smith served on both mayoral campaigns of Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson and co-chaired the new mayor’s transition committee. Mr. Smith was a finalist for the National Small Business Association’s 2009 Lewis Shattuck Small Business Advocate of the Year award, and he received the Outstanding Service Award from James F. Dicke College of Business Administration at Ohio Northern University in 2008. In 2004, he received the American Jewish Committee's Richard H. Adler Community Leadership Award and the COSE Entrepreneurial Leadership Award sponsored by Cleveland State University's College of Business Administration and the Cleveland Rotary Club. Other awards include Honorable Mention for Medical Mutual of Ohio’s Non-Profit Board Executive of the Year in 2003.
Mr. Smith received an MBA (Finance) from Duquesne University and a B.A. in Business Administration (Accounting) from Ohio Northern University. He is a member of the CFA Institute and the Cleveland CFA Society.
