Gonzaga to Host Socially-Conscious Cotopaxi Founder Davis Smith April 13
News Brief by Cassy Benefield
Davis Smith had an “almost spiritual experience” when he came up with the idea for Cotopaxi.
After nearly a decade of creating companies that sold pool tables online, or brought internet sales of baby products to Brazil, he was in his early 30s and feeling frustrated.
“I just didn’t know how to marry the idea of creating a business and having a social impact,” Smith said in a press release. “That’s when I had the idea that I could build a brand where at the very core of the brand was this idea of helping people, where we used our profits to sustainably fight poverty.”
Through the company’s foundation, Cotopaxi has reached an estimated 3.5 individuals who live in extreme poverty according to a recent company press release.
The company focuses much of its charitable work on Latin America, where Smith spent much of his childhood because of his father’s job, and where the volcano that gives Cotopaxi its name resides in Ecuador.
The Invitation to Gonzaga
On Thursday at 4 p.m., Smith will visit Gonzaga to share his vision for Cotopaxi, the brand recognizable across the country for its brightly colored patterns on backpacks, jackets and more, all predominantly made using recycled, repurposed or responsibly sourced materials.
The event is free and open to the public. It will be held in the Hemmingson Ballroom. Attenders need to RSVP online.
GSBA President Miguel Acosta Loza, an Ecuador native, was inspired to invite Smith to talk with Gonzaga students after Acosta Loza learned about Cotopaxi’s work with nonprofits around the world.
“I really appreciate Davis’s passion for social entrepreneurship,” Acosta Loza said in a statement. “Most people at Gonzaga are familiar with Cotopaxi products and their creative designs, whether they are aware of the social impact of the brand or not.”
Acosta Loza added, “The typical GU student is passionate about serving people on the margins of society, rather than comfortably staying in the middle, and Cotopaxi is a company that builds authentic relationships with its nonprofit partners.”
Davis’ Message to College Students
Smith often speaks with student groups and says he is looking forward to the Q-&-A “fishbowl” format for the GU event that allows students to steer the conversation.
He tries to impart the message, no matter what group he’s speaking to, that college students can “find a profession or a path that allows us to go lift others,” Smith said in a press release. “That’s where we’re going to find true joy and happiness and fulfillment, not just where we can go make the most money.”
Smith will give up his position as the Cotopaxi CEO in July when he and his family will move to Brazil for the next three years. He committed to become the next mission president of the Brazil Recife North Mission of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
He plans to remain Cotopaxi’s chairman of the board during this time.
