Al Smiles

Published 5:00 pm Saturday, July 31, 2010

People on the coast know Al Smiles as the executive director of the Seaside Chamber of Commerce. He’s been in that position since 2005, and spent time before that working in Tillamook.

But Smiles’ journey to the Oregon coast began in another land, and before he moved to the U.S. he lived what might be described as another lifetime, with a demanding career.

The Welsh native moved to the United States from the UK nine years ago, originally to take a job in Nevada in the field of risk management, working for Pierre Omidyar, the founder of eBay.

His move to the United States was dramatic. Smiles landed on U.S. soil on Sept. 11, 2001, the date of the infamous 9-11 terrorist attack.

He eventually moved from Nevada to Seaside and spent a few years working for MTC Works in Tillamook. He was hired for the chamber director’s job in 2005.

But not so long ago Smiles was involved in life and work that seems 180 degrees away from tourism-related endeavors.

Born in the coal-mining region of South Wales, he moved to England as a young man.

Americans may have seen films or read about life in the Welsh coal mines. The most famous bit of British literature about the country is likely “A Child’s Christmas in Wales,” by Dylan Thomas. But Smiles said his childhood was more reminiscent of the classic film, “How Green was My Valley,” about a Welsh mining family.

He grew up fluent in both Welsh and English, but said he doesn’t think he could speak his country’s complex native tongue these days – an ancient Celtic language that’s related to Gaelic and Scottish.

Smiles left home at 17 and moved to England. He spent years traveling around Europe and lived in Hong Kong for a time. He joined the British Army and became involved in special operations, what would be called “special forces” in the U.S. military. In that capacity, Smiles said he specialized in jungle and mountain warfare and military intelligence operations. He doesn’t share much more than that about those years, but his extensive training shows itself in his volunteer pursuits outside work these days.

Now he’s a volunteer firefighter in Gearhart and Seaside, and a member of the county’s High Angle Rescue team, a 14-member crew that helps stranded people gain safety from cliffs and rocky slopes along the coast.

“High angle rescue is when the incline is 60 degrees and beyond,” Smiles said, differentiating it from low angle rescue efforts on flatter ground. He said hikers sometimes fall in steep areas, and high tide often strands visitors exploring rock outcroppings on the beach.

He said one thing that distinguishes high angle rescue efforts is the specialized “mechanical advantage” gear that allows rescuers to haul injured victims up precipitous slopes. He has taken special training to use such equipment and is a certified rope rescue technician.

Smiles considers the U.S. his home now, and while he is still a Welsh citizen, he is classified as a permanent U.S. resident. That means he can’t vote here, but continues to vote via absentee ballot in Welsh elections as a member of the political party Plaid Cymru, which supports independence from Britain.

Oregon coastal weather is similar to conditions in the British Isles, and that helps Smiles feel at home here. He also has opportunities to enjoy hobbies like hiking and rock climbing. He’s done solo ascents of Mt Rainier and other Northwest peaks.

Smiles said it’s unlikely that he’d ever move back to Wales at this point in this life. Some of it has to do with philosophical differences.

“I’m opposed to the idea of a royal family,” he said of the British government monarchy.

Smiles said he enjoys his work at the Seaside chamber, which is a world away from his former military pursuits.

He appreciates the positive feedback the chamber gets from the community for a job well done.

“We see success stories; we see people enjoying themselves,” he said. “I like the variety.”