James R. “Jim” Smith, Jr.
James R. “Jim” Smith, Jr., is a veteran engineer, fabrication specialist, and long-time industry partner whose career has helped shape the evolution of America’s perimeter security and crash-rated barrier systems. As Chairman and CEO, he leads all aspects of the corporation and its capital allocation strategy, while simultaneously focusing on its engineering, manufacturing, inventory, and supply-chain operations. Smith grew up in central Pennsylvania, working alongside his father in the family’s fabrication shop, which operated out of a converted farmhouse and became known throughout the region for manufacturing high-demand wood-burning stoves during the gas crisis of the 1970s.
One of the fabrication shop’s primary distributors was Nasatka Security, founded by Korean War veteran Ralph Nasatka, Sr. This early relationship between the Nasatka and Smith families helped produce some of the first patented perimeter barrier systems in the world and laid the foundation for a multigenerational partnership. A graduate of Grove City College with an engineering background, Smith went on to establish Apex Fabrication & Design in 2003 to support the rapidly expanding demand for high-precision steel fabrication and crash-rated components after 9/11. Under his leadership, Apex grew into a 60,000-square-foot, AISC-certified facility specializing in vehicle barriers, structural assemblies, rapid prototyping, and OEM fabrication for transportation infrastructure. Apex became known for its ability to meet stringent state and federal manufacturing guidelines, including those of PennDOT Bulletin 15, Maryland SHA, and NCDOT. In 2019, Smith and Nasatka’s leader, John F. Scolaro, formally merged Apex with Nasatka Security, unifying decades of collaboration into a single vertically integrated organization. The merger positioned Nasatka as one of the few perimeter security companies with full in-house capabilities for engineering, fabrication, assembly, testing, installation, and sustainment across both the active- and passive-barrier system industry segment.
Smith leads Nasatka’s legacy of American-made manufacturing, deploying vehicle access control and perimeter security solutions to the most secure sites in the world. His hands-on engineering experience, fabrication expertise, and longstanding industry relationships contribute to Nasatka’s ability to adapt to evolving threats and to maintain the highest standards in crash-tested barrier technology.
