In 1984, at the age of 27, he founded Advance Testing Company, Inc., financed by a handfan of his own credit cards as he traveled around in a very used station wagon from client to client and their jobsites. A year later he relocated his company’s operation from his home to a 1,500/sf building in Newburgh, NY.

Today, Advance Testing is a construction materials testing and inspection firm with offices located in Campbell Hall, NY; Harpursville, NY; Newtown, CT; West Stockbridge, MA; Fort Myers, FL; and Schuylerville, NY. The company is known nationwide as an innovator and leader in construction materials testing.

Advance Testing provides high quality services for a variety of private and public sector project types that include airports, highways, bridges, tunnels, buildings and many others. Services include overall inspection of construction practices, as well as specific materials related testing for soils, aggregates, asphalt, concrete, masonry, fireproofing, structural steel and welding, with hundreds of test procedures performed in its accredited laboratories.

The project list is impressive, with dozens of high-profile projects and developments that include: the Gov. Mario M. Cuomo Bridge, World Trade Center reconstruction, Orange Regional Medical Center, LEGOLAND New York, Resorts World Catskills, USMA Preparatory School, The Kartrite Indoor Water Park, and the CPV Valley Energy Center. Under his leadership, Advance Testing has grown into one of the most respected construction materials testing and inspection firms on the East Coast. The company has a state-of-the-art material testing site, and six satellite offices with up to 170 employees in high season across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Florida.

The company provides a full suite of services including: construction materials testing (concrete, masonry, asphalt, soil, aggregates); material testing with AASHTO, NVLAP, USACE, and New York City Department of Buildings accreditations, building code special inspections; petrographic analysis, pavement profiling, and steel/welding inspection, and comprehensive quality assurance and field inspection services.

Advance Testing’s client base includes major public agencies, general contractors, precast manufacturers, and large infrastructure developers. The firm has been repeatedly recognized for outstanding customer satisfaction and has earned 12 consecutive American Council of Independent Laboratory customer service awards.

Commenting on his firm’s purchase, Mr. Smith said, “I founded this company in 1984 with the goal of delivering rigorous, reliable and responsive materials testing services to our clients. Joining SOCOTEC USA marks an exciting new chapter in the company that honors that legacy while giving our team the resources and reach to continue leading in quality and innovation.”

Mr. Smith’s company has been a longtime member of the Construction Industry Council and vigorous supporters and sponsors of the association’s many campaigns for economic development, industry advancement and job development of the workforce of tomorrow.

SOCOTEC USA has grown from a niche consultancy in 2019 to a 1,700-person, multi-disciplinary organization operating across more than 35 offices nationwide after more than 25 acquisitions. The company posted revenue of $350 million in 2025 and has goals of continued expansion and more than $500 million by 2028. Worldwide the firm has more than 14,000 with 2,000 in the U.S.

Reflecting on his career at the helm of Advance Testing, Mr. Smith said, “It was a great 42 years. There have been so many successes along the way that I’m so proud of—programs we began that we’ve watched grow and develop. Our college internship and inner-city mentorship programs have been the pathway for more than 2,000 students in all walks of life, to enter a dynamic industry where they could learn, earn a great living, and create new lives for themselves. These programs have been phenomenally successful and something that every company should do. Yes, you’re giving in the beginning because of the initial time and expense to start them. But what you get back from them is way beyond priceless.”

He continued, “Now that I’m retired, I feel like I have two one-thousand-pound weights lifted off my shoulders. Instead of waking up between three and four am like I have for the past fifty years, I’m now getting up between seven and eight am. I have a lot to live for and to be thankful for.” Topping that list are the 14 grandchildren whom he and his wife, Nancy, celebrate from a new residence in Florida. 

“I wish there were an extra day in the week,” he laughed. “That would help me a lot.”