Herald “Smitty” Smith Jr., founder of Cedar Rapids Steel Transportation (CRST), died July 27 at his home in Door County, Wis., after a brief illness. He was 91. Smith founded CRST in Cedar Rapids in 1955 when he was 31. He began contracting with owner/operators hauling livestock to Chicago to return to the Cedar Rapids area with loads of steel instead of empty trucks. Embracing the extraordinary change in the industry brought on by deregulation in 1980, as chairman he oversaw the company’s rapid transition into a highly competitive marketplace. Today CRST is one of the nation’s largest privately held carriers, with revenues approaching $1.5 billion. “He was an icon in the transportation business,” said CRST International President and CEO Dave Rusch. “He dealt with adversity after the industry was deregulated in 1980. He was a very good man, a born entrepreneur and philanthropist; he will be missed by many.”