Forty Under 40: Brandon D. Long

Brandon Long’s mother still owns the real estate company he grew up around in El Dorado, but he never planned to follow in her footsteps. If it weren’t for his desire to remain in Northwest Arkansas after earning a degree in political science from the University of Arkansas, he would be in Washington D.C.

Long and his business partner, Carter Clark, founded the company in September 2003 and knew right away they needed good people around them to be successful. “We wanted to surround ourselves with people we enjoy being around,” said Long, adding, “they work with us, not for us.”

That simple idea has paid off. In their fiscal year 2006, the company saw a production increase of over 390 percent.

With success comes sacrifice. Still single, Long’s 60- to 80-hour workweeks leave him little time for socializing, something he misses.

Long said he believes the old saying that what goes around comes around. Paraphrasing Sam Walton, Long said, “Take care of your clients or someone else will.”

He is active in several charitable organizations, including the Cancer Challenge and Pagnozzi Charities, and is a director on the Metro Board of Realtors, and is the president-elect of the Fayetteville Country Club.