Lee Smith

About Lee Smith

I am a founder, operator, and growth leader with nearly 16 years of experience building and scaling retail and consumer brands across brick-and-mortar, e-commerce, and SaaS. • Urbanity: Built Washington State’s largest and longest-running streetwear retailer, scaling to $2M+ in annual revenue with consistent profitability. Maintained exclusive vendor accounts with Nike, Jordan, North Face, Purple Denim, BBC, Ice Cream, Ksubi, New Balance, and others. A defensible competitive advantage in the retail sector. • Ottemo: Co-founded an e-commerce SaaS platform that pioneered online retail infrastructure before Shopify. Raised in capital and reached a $10M valuation before a founder dispute. • Rich Kids Brand: Founded a streetwear label carried in Nordstrom and Zumiez, worn by cultural icons including Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, Meek Mill, Ludacris, and Nipsey Hussle. It became Seattle’s most recognized streetwear brand of its era. • Nova6: Currently building an AI-driven retail technology company focused on automated outfit coordination and AR try-on experiences, bridging e-commerce with in-store retail.Beyond strategy and operations, I lead a 40-person team, known for motivating and mentoring talent, fostering accountability, and driving collaboration. I thrive at building cultures of performance, communication, and growth in fast-paced environments.My expertise includes: • Scaling retail & consumer businesses (streetwear, fashion, e-commerce, SaaS) • Vendor negotiations and national retail distribution (Nike/Jordan/North Face exclusive accounts, Nordstrom, Zumiez) • P&L management, profitability, fundraising, and value creation • Brand building, cultural marketing, and influencer/celebrity partnerships • Turnarounds, crisis management, and omnichannel growth strategyI am open to opportunities as: • C-Suite Executive at large retail or consumer companies (CEO, COO, Chief Growth Officer, etc.) • Operating Partner or Portfolio Executive with private equity firms investing in retail and consumer brandsWhile continuing to scale Urbanity, I remain open to conversations with investors, strategic partners, and potential acquirers interested in expanding the brand’s growth trajectory.

Experience

1. Owner

   Urbanity Clothing Store

   Dec 2009 — Present

   Urbanity is the largest and longest-running streetwear retailer in Washington State, known for carrying exclusive top-tier brands like Nike, Jordan, New Balance, North Face, Purple Denim, Ksubi, and Billionaire Boys Club. Over the past 16 years, I’ve built Urbanity into a multi-million-dollar business that continues to thrive in an evolving retail landscape-Grew Urbanity from a single concept store to one of the most recognized streetwear destinations in the Pacific Northwest-Established and maintained exclusive vendor relationships, including Nike and Jordan, securing highly coveted product allocations-Expanded into e-commerce, driving new growth channels and positioning Urbanity as a hybrid brick-and-mortar + digital retailer-Managed all aspects of business operations. Strategy, finance, marketing, and team leadership while maintaining consistent profitability-Built and led a team of 20 employees, emphasizing culture, communication, and developmentCurrently driving Urbanity’s next phase of growth with a store relocation and massive e-commerce growth

Education

• University of Idaho

  Bachelor’s Degree, Business, Communications, Psychology

  2005 — 2009

Skills

• Brand Development
• Fashion Design
• Brand Management
• Marketing Strategy
• Advertising
• Online Advertising
• Digital Marketing
• Marketing
• Sem
• Styling
• Event Planning
• Public Relations
• Graphic Design
• Google Analytics
• Photoshop
• Management
• E-Commerce
• SEO
• Entrepreneurship
• Start-Ups
• Creative Direction
• Trade Shows
• Apparel
• Fashion
• Cloud Computing
• Product Marketing
• Merchandising
• Social Networking
• Brand Awareness
• Retail
• Sales
• Trend Analysis
• Social Media
• Footwear
• Adobe Creative Suite
• Blogging
• Marketing Communications
• Facebook
• Illustrator
• Social Media Marketing