Honoring Black History Month with Employee Stories – Dontae Smith

This story is from Dontae,  Store Manager at National Pawn, he shares how his father played an integral part of his success, as well as a few of his National Pawn peers.  The culture at National Pawn has given Dontae a sense of belonging.  Dontae has moved from Manager-In Training to Assistant Manager, and now Store Manager in 2 1/2 years.

“A lot of my success has been influenced by my father, who has been my biggest inspiration.  He has supported me through everything from my baseball career to my successful career at National Pawn. My ambition to ‘always be better than yesterday’ comes from him. He’s my biggest fan and my biggest critic.

The role I play to better my future is having great integrity in everything I do. Always looking to be better, as well as never settling for less, has so far made my future look promising. My future is only as successful as the company I keep, and I have a lot of supporters.  Along with my father, my other influencers are National Pawn store managers Ebis Gamble, Val Otero, Jeremy Haman, and Hortencia Leon.  I am thankful for everything they have done for me.  Lastly, I am appreciative to National Pawn for treating me like a person, and not just another employee.”