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Platinum Drywall Succeeds With Work Ethic, Reputation

3 min read

If there’s one thing Anthony Brooks knows, it’s how to leverage an opportunity. It’s what got him into the construction business and it’s what’s helped his business, Platinum Drywall, grow into one of the leading drywall subcontractors in the state.

“My dad used to be general superintendent for Horton Drywall,” he said “While in college, I worked at Horton part-time and he more or less convinced me to go to work for him full-time when I graduated. In hindsight, it was a great move.”

Brooks made the most of that opportunity, learning the business from the ground up until stepping out on his own 15 years ago, once again at ground level.

“Most people on the outside looking in see the glamorous side [of business]; they don’t really see all of the parts and pieces that go in,” he said. “The amount of hours, the amount of commitment you’re going to have to put into it at first. There’s lousy pay for a while. But if it’s truly your desire to do it, you’ll find a way to get through it.

“I started out with the smallest projects, projects no one else wanted to do. Nights, weekends. Just doing anything and everything we could do. Fifteen years ago I wore every hat from the delivery guy to the cleanup.”

Paying attention to details other companies overlooked was precisely what built Platinum Drywall’s early reputation.

“It was always our mission to provide platinum-level service to the people we worked for,” Brooks said. “We were doing a lot of office remodels back then and one thing that got you fired probably quicker than anything was leaving a bunch of ladies’ offices a mess after you did some work. I’d personally go in and clean or inspect and make sure that everything was put back better than what it was initially.”

That extra measure of pride earned Platinum the endorsement of major construction players. Brooks still remembers Bob East of East Harding vouching for him when bidding the contract for Dickey-Stephens Park in North Little Rock.

“I did not want to disappoint [East] for sticking his neck out there to help us get it,” Brooks said. “[That job] went well and I think that really helped validate our resume moving forward doing bigger jobs.”

Now at 50 employees, Platinum is in demand statewide — and occasionally out of state — from smaller gigs to large, headliner projects like the newly-reopened showpiece Robinson Center in Little Rock. Given the company’s scope, Brooks can’t keep a hand in every job as he used to, but his formula for success hasn’t changed.

“Finish the job on time, regardless of whatever it costs,” he said. “We’ll work out the parts and pieces later, but if you start one, always complete it. Try to always give the customer more than what they ask for; that creates residual opportunities. Look at client relationships as something where you want to be in partnership with these people long-term. It’s not just a one-time deal, so be more than fair from that standpoint.” 

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