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Ship and Anchor was birthed out of a legacy of humble beginnings, from a family-owned commercial fishing company based in small town North Carolina.

Over 3 generations of life on the sea suddenly came to an end with the tragic sinking of the Lady Mary fishing vessel in the Atlantic Ocean on March 24, 2009. The family discontinued the business but not the spirit that powered it - the spirit of the Ship and Anchor.

Influenced by 50+ years of valuing business as a family matter, Ship and Anchor prides itself on treating clients and partners like family. Rebirthed as a community impact enterprise, we help organizations execute strategic communication & messaging strategies, identify, secure, and expand value-added relationships, and with other types of management & operational support.

Ship and Anchor will help you reach your destination, like the Ship, and hold you down after you arrive, like the Anchor.

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OUR STORY

OUR IMPACT GROUPS

Impact Groups

As a collective of professional advocates, researchers, capacity-builders, and business strategists, we are obsessed with measurable impact. We understand that where your focus goes, your outcomes grow. We serve businesses and organizations across disciplines and sectors; however, place special focus on business that serve or market to our impact groups, shown below.

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Current, Formerly
Incarcerated

Photo graphyby Troy C Johnson

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Students

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Small Business Enterprises

FOUNDER, CEO

CEO
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Devin D. Smith is founder and CEO of Ship and Anchor LLC, a community impact enterprise. As an entrepreneur consultant and strategist passionate about inclusion and working with other entrepreneurs and leaders to bring innovative ideas to life, Devin is committed to employing his gifts and experiences to serve and build capacity in others. The breadth of Devin's experience spans a variety of sectors - politics, academia, government, small diverse businesses, and multinational corporations.

 

Devin began his studies in education, which remains his chief passion. However, when a twist of fate landed him in prison, Smith found himself unearthing latent gifts in business and entrepreneurship. Upon returning from prison and completing his degree from North Carolina State University, Devin migrated to Washington, D.C., where he worked as a business development consultant.

 

Most notable was his work to develop the Stakeholder Engagement Center for an international economic development organization focusing on supplier diversity, working to increase economic inclusion of diverse-owned businesses. Within its first year the team increased direct referrals for corporate contracts by more than 100% within its first year.

 

In recent years Devin has begun incorporating his creative and artistic nature into his work. As a participant in the spring of 2020 class of Mayor Muriel Bowser Presents 202Creates Residency Program for creative entrepreneurs, he launched the Letters from America's 3rd World podcast; subsequently he released his self-produced documentary short film by the same name, through participation in the Justice Arts Coalition's JUSTstories program. The film went on to win Best Film award in the Criminal Justice Category at the 2023 International Social Change Film Festival.

 

As the eldest of 5, Smith credits his faith and family for keeping him Anchored and motivated to excel despite setbacks. Overcoming adversity, trauma and prison incarceration, Devin has learned to leverage both tragic and triumphant life experiences as his superpowers. In addition to writing, he uses the mantra "what's your anchor" as a guide for achieving personal and professional actualization no matter your life circumstance. 

 

Learn more about Devin and his work by visiting linktr.ee/dev.dryan

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