Can a Tiger succeed in business in Gamecock land?

When it comes to business, former Clemson University football player William C. “Bill” Smith thinks the blood of the Capital City runs neither garnet nor orange.

Smith, 56, is CEO of Red Rock Developments in Columbia, a commercial real estate development firm that specializes in office and industrial development throughout the Southeast, where Smith brings more than 30 years of experience to the table.

A team leader on Clemson’s 1981 national championship team, Smith said he has had no trouble as a Tiger doing business in Columbia.

“I have a lot of good Gamecock friends as well as Tiger friends here in South Carolina,” said Smith, who played at Clemson from 1977-81.

Success in business is based on an ability to give customers what they need and want, Smith said, along with one’s character and the trust they are able to inspire in others. “It has very little to do with whether you are a Gamecock or a Tiger.”

In 1996, at 36, Smith became the youngest person ever elected to the Clemson University Board of Trustees, later becoming its vice chairman.

Smith, whose son, Cannon, is a backup tight end on this year’s Clemson team, said business success is built on developing good relationships and following through with good work.

“People want to do business with people that can get the job done and the people that they can trust – people they can depend on,” Smith said. Red Rock Developments has approximately 3.5 million square feet of properties under development from Atlanta to Charlotte, Smith said.

“Being in the state of South Carolina, whether you’re a Gamecock or a Tiger, if you’re a former football player in business, most of your alumni base is in this state. People know who you are, know of your past. It goes back to your reputation in the business you are in, your reputation in general, and can you get the job done.

“That’s what companies make decisions on when they look at hiring a developer to do their job for them. But it has its advantages.”