About His Business & Career: Growing up, Davis Smith lived in places like the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Ecuador. Living abroad and seeing some of the poverty in these places really shaped him, leading him toward his eventual career path. Today, Smith is the founder and CEO of Cotopaxi, a sustainable outdoor apparel and gear company that abides by the ethos, “do good.” Designed to fuel both adventure and global change, Cotopaxi’s durable products are produced in the most ehtically sustainable way possible, while a portion of its revenue goes toward developing and uplifting communities—creating a lasting impact.
Why He Made the Worthy 100: As a B Corp, Cotopaxi is extremely dedicated to making an impact. The company does this all throughout its business model. Its products are made with responsibly sourced materials through an ethical supply chain, which makes sure fair working conditions are met. Plus, the company has committed to creating all of its products with repurposed, recycled and reused materials by 2025. Additionally, one percent of the company’s revenue is used to help address poverty through the brand’s impact arm, the Cotopaxi Foundation. The foundation is intended to further drive Cotopaxi’s mission of alleviating poverty. It does this through allocating grants to humanitarian organizations, such as the International Rescue Committee (IRC), Mercy Corps and Nothing But Nets, that have great track records of improving the human condition. So far, the Cotopaxi Foundation has allotted 42 grants in six countries, with a large focus on Latin America’s poorest communities.
Industry: Retail
Year Founded: 2014
Headquarters: Salt Lake City, Utah
