Goodyear veteran, business owner celebrates book through public signing

By Mary Goldmeer
Mail | Independent Newsmedia

Paul Smiley, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel, celebrated his business success through a signing of his debut book, “The Smiley Leadership and Mentoring Experience.”

Smiley founded Sonoran Technology and Professional Services in Goodyear. Initially a home-based business focusing on Air Force support, it has since expanded into a veteran-owned company with national reach.

Sonoran Technology provides flight training and other services to federal agencies, including the Air Force, Navy and Army, with 85% to 90% of its employees being veterans.

Under Smiley’s leadership, the company has earned several awards, including the U.S. Small Business Administration’s National 8(a) Graduate of the Year in 2019 and the “Legacy Small Business” award in 2023, celebrating the SBA’s 70th anniversary.

Smiley said he used background he built from his military career of more than 1,900 flying hours and roles such as a combat veteran, squadron commander and a Pentagon action officer to help his business, and his clients, take off.

Smiley reflects on the struggles and successes of starting his business in “The Smiley Leadership and Mentoring Experience,” which was released in May. Smiley said the book is meant to share his insights and advice on leadership and mentoring, drawing from his own experiences in the military and business.

On Sept. 1 he celebrated the book’s success publicly for the first time at a book signing hosted by Goodyear’s Barnes & Nobel.

“I am still getting used to being an author. I wrote to get my thoughts down and am still adjusting to the publicity,” Smiley said, “[but at the signing] meeting the community was the fun part.”

When he is not leading his company, Smiley said he is helping to uplift the Goodyear community and other small businesses. To do so he founded and became president of the Caliente Leadership Group and volunteers on various boards and advisory roles.

His service includes positions on the Arizona State University’s New College Leadership Alliance, the Pat Tillman Veterans Center, and the West Virginia State University Board of Visitors. He also serves on the U.S. SBA Advisory Council for Veteran Business Concerns.

“I try to be a parachute to help [new small businesses owners] navigate the minefield that is starting a business, what I’ve done in the last eight or nine years is help small businesses avoid those land mines,” Smiley said. “I think if we work together to support other people, we would be a much better community and county.”