A consummate commerce and retail professional, Terrand Smith oversaw close to $1 billion in revenue during her 20-year career in corporate retail. Working as a National Buyer at the headquarters of some of the largest retailers in the US, she managed, grew, and restored thousands of products with hundreds of vendor partners across over 15,000 retail outlets, building deep expertise in product assortments, operational efficiency, profit and loss optimization, and business model innovation.

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Working in neighborhoods across the country, she noticed that small business owners — product and service-based — were greatly hindered by a lack of knowledge around the complexities of retail, distribution, and commerce. They were exceptional at their craft, but without that knowledge their growth stalled. She recognized how vital, and how overlooked, the success of these entrepreneurs was to local economies and communities.

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In January 2016, she launched 37 Oaks, a global commerce development company that transforms small businesses into high-value, sustainable, and scalable enterprises. Today, 37 Oaks operates domestically and internationally,  partnering with municipalities, CDFIs, economic development organizations, and institutions nationwide, and delivering commerce development programming across multiple continents including in partnership with global institutions such as the UK Government Department for Business and Trade.