Buzz Smith is the founder of The EVangelist. Oddly, he started his career in oil & gas. He left that industry, after ten years, during one of the many oil “busts.” In 2012, his life was changed by a car accident. His car was totaled. Gasoline was expensive, so he leased a Chevy Volt. He loved it so much, he started a blog called, “My Electric Vehicle Journey.” Less than two months later, his wife Bonnie leased a Chevy Volt too. (they re-Volted!)A year later, his Chevrolet dealership hired him as a salesperson, focusing on plug-in vehicles. For the next 6 years, Buzz was the #1 plug-in vehicle salesperson, for the entire state of Texas, with 35% of his sales being plug-in vehicles.
Buzz is also a board member and the Director of Dealer Outreach with the Texas Electric Transportation Resources Alliance. In 2020, he retired to focus on EV-angelizing, as “The EVangelist,” spreading the good news of electric vehicles. He is married to Bonnie and has three amazing daughters: Jessica, Alison and Zoe.
Although born in the Providence, Rhode Island, Bonnie grew up in Fort Erie, Ontario, eh. Almost immediately after graduating college, she moved to the warmer climes of Florida, working for the news programs of television stations WTSP in Tampa and WPLG in Miami. In 1990, she moved to Texas, ya’ll and continued her career, as an award winning video editor for 2 production companies: Aries Productions (1990-2004) and CRM Studios (2004 to present). She also worked as the Assistant Editor on the movie, “The Pardon,” which was released in 2013.
Bonnie Smith is The Evangelist‘s Director of Video Production. She’s also Buzz’s wife. She’s a detail-oriented video artist, highly valued for her skills. She’s been employed in video production, since graduating with a degree in Broadcasting from Buffalo State, in New York, in 1985.
Bonnie met Buzz in 1992, married him in 1995 and gave him his 3rd daughter, Zoe, in 1999. Her contribution to The EVangelist’s existence cannot be overstated. She suggested Buzz get a plug-in vehicle in 2012 and start a blog. She’s the one who pushed Buzz to create videos because she felt his passion for EVs was communicated best in that medium. She fully supported Buzz’s move into auto sales, in 2013, without his having any automobile or commission sales experience.