Rickey Smith is founder and principal of Urban Green LLC, a social entrepreneurship dedicated to restoring, developing and promoting “green space” within the communities it serves. Urban Green LLC was designed upon Rickey’s philosophy of Circular Synergy, which seeks to establish a CLEAR path connecting the inter-disciplines of Cuisine, Land-use, Environment, and Architecture into Renewable cycles of self-reliant communities. As a youth, Rickey worked the land upon his family’s rural property in Wartrace, Tennessee. He received his Bachelor in Business from University of Tennessee, Knoxville and a MFA in Visual Anthropology/Cinema from University of Southern California.

Amassing knowledge of our current industrial, greed-driven, corporate food system, Rickey started his own thriving business September 2001, creating two culinary product lines, The Sweet Spot and Urban Green Cuisine, which are distributed through retail stores, e-commerce and Farmer’s Markets as well as through (Zero-Waste) catering & event services for universities, government agencies, and special events. The Sweet Spot has been featured nationally on The Food Network and Martha Stewart Magazine, in addition to a multitude of local food reviews.

Inspired by the challenge to evolve food production in the United States, and seeking to create a deeper, more significant experience than just the mere exchange of goods for money, Rickey is committed to the development of functional, small-scale operations using closed-loop, urban-farming systems within the Los Angeles Metropolitan area.

Recognized as a leader and change agent who passionately believes in the Urban Green adage “Waste not. Want not.” He is currently a guest lecturer at UCLA, local charter schools and conference round table discussions. Rickey is also recognized for his community service work with diverse organizations such as Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Robotics Team and Mother’s Club in Pasadena.

Most recently, Urban Green LLC has contracted with The State of California Parks and Recreation to build an interactive, interpretive system on the site of The Historic State Park in Downtown Los Angeles. The development, on the site originally settled as a railroad yard for the emerging City of Angels in the late 1800’s, envisions “ON SPRING” as a community hub with activities involving educational and practical application of sustainable functions which guests can incorporate into their own personal lives.

Rickey Smith is founder and principal of Urban Green LLC, a social entrepreneurship dedicated to restoring, developing and promoting “green space” within the communities it serves. Urban Green LLC was designed upon Rickey’s philosophy of Circular Synergy, which seeks to establish a CLEAR path connecting the inter-disciplines of Cuisine, Land-use, Environment, and Architecture into Renewable cycles of self-reliant communities.