Royal Cup Coffee CEO emeritus wins Jemison Award

Mountain Brook thrives on being a community that gives back, so each year, the Chamber of Commerce presents the Jemison Visionary Award to those who have made significant contributions to the community. This year’s winner, Mountain Brook’s Hatton Smith, thrives on working within his community, too. 

“It all started in high school,” Smith said. While at Mountain Brook, he was captain of the basketball team and president of the student council. He went on to study political science at Washington and Lee University.

Around the time of his graduation, his brother, William E. Smith Jr., took over his father’s position operating the Royal Cup Coffee company.

“There weren’t a lot of people beating down my door to come work for them [after graduation],” he said, laughing. “My mother forced my brother to hire me, so thank you, Mother.”

Smith had humble beginnings in Royal Cup, starting as a cold-call coffee salesman, but soon moved his way up to become a division manager and eventually the president and CEO.

“When I operated the business, I operated it under the manifesto of the second commandment,” he said, which tells people to love your neighbor as yourself. “I think in business and in life, if you practice the second commandment as best you can, it makes for a better world.”

Now, Smith is the CEO emeritus of Royal Cup, and he continues working under the second commandment both in and out of the company. 

Smith has been instrumental in the local community in recent years, especially in the return of the UAB football program. Through fundraising, Smith and his team were able to raise more than $35 million to restore the football team and build a new facility. He said he is hoping to continue the revival of the team by creating a new stadium for Birmingham. 

“The UAB football program can positively influence the culture of the city,” he said. By bringing more traffic to downtown Birmingham, he believes the area will benefit socially, culturally and economically. “UAB matters, and UAB football is just an extension of that.”

He was also actively involved in the initial campaign for the Mountain Brook City Schools Foundation and in fundraising to build the Rotary Trail, which runs through downtown Birmingham. Smith currently sits on the Birmingham-Southern College board, advises nonprofits throughout the city and helps individuals search for jobs that fit their skill sets and requirements. But it all goes back to his initial start with Royal Cup.

“Royal Cup is a local company. All cities … are strengthened by how many local companies they have,” Smith said. “If Royal Cup is successful, or a local company is as successful as Royal Cup, then it affects the psyche of the community.”

By giving back to the local companies, nonprofits and individuals, Smith said he is hoping to help his community grow and instill a sense of pride in the residents.

“If you are blessed with influence or gifts, you need to have a positive impact on the environment around you,” he said. “We have a great opportunity, and now is the time. And I feel like the citizenry grasps that.”