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Eric Smidt

Board Director & President

The founder and president of the Smidt Foundation, Eric Smidt is the owner and CEO of Harbor Freight Tools, the U.S. based tool retailer with more than 1,600 stores and 26,000 associates across the United States.

At age 17, Eric co-founded Harbor Freight Tools with his father. That small mail-order tool business established in North Hollywood, California in 1977 has become the leading discount tool retailer in the United States.

By working directly with factories, Eric removed layers of cost and passed the savings on to his customers. With an extraordinary team of business leaders, merchants, engineers and store and supply chain associates, Harbor Freight now offers tools that meet the needs of a wide range of professional tradespeople as well as DIYers at disruptive prices.

Eric and his team are guided by values that balance high performance with a culture of kindness and respect and they’re committed to making Harbor Freight not only the best place to shop, but also the best place to work – a commitment that has been recognized annually by Forbes, Fortune and other publications.

Eric and the Smidt Foundation team bring that same approach to their work here.

Eric Smidt

THE SMIDT FOUNDATION, HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS, and HARBOR FREIGHT TOOLS FOR SCHOOLS PRIZE FOR TEACHING EXCELLENCE are registered trademarks owned or licensed by the Smidt Foundation.

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