Kurt Smith joined the ATA in January 2017 to become its senior manager of retail programs and was promoted to director of industry relations in September 2018. He works with the rest of ATA’s outreach team to build partnerships between all members and community-based organizations.
Smith’s primary responsibility has been growing and enhancing the ATA’s educational programs, including the MyATA Learning Center and the Archery Industry Masterclass. These programs seek to continually improve the resources the ATA offers its members to expand their customer base while making their businesses more efficient and profitable. He also serves as the staff lead for the ATA’s Technical Committee.
Smith discusses industry trends in his podcast titled
“Beyond the Bow.” It is designed to benefit all member types: retailers, manufacturers, consumers, and beyond. Be on the lookout for new episodes every month.
Smith also serves as the staff liaison to the ATA’s Retail Council, which strives to represent archery retailers no matter their size, location or business platform. The Council meets periodically to discuss pressing issues that ATA-member retailers are facing.
Smith earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education at Elizabethtown College in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania. He spent a few years working in public schools and also served as the director of an alternative school for at-risk youths. He began working at Kinsey’s Outdoors in 2009 as a retail associate, and became the customer service technical specialist for Kinsey’s Archery Products in 2012. He later coordinated the Kinsey University program, which provides technical and business training to retailers. Smith uses all those experiences to help ATA-members while also building programs that benefit them and the entire industry.
Smith resides in Dallastown, Pennsylvania, with his wife, Emily; and four children. Kurt loves the outdoors and has shot archery since he was 5. He enjoys all types of archery, whether it’s bowhunting, target archery, traditional archery or crossbow shooting but spends most of his time shooting traditional recurves, longbows, and target barebow. In addition, he enjoys woodworking golf, fishing and photography. Kurt spends as much time as possible with his wife and children.