Forty Under 40: Barry Graves, 39

Nowadays, Barry Graves is paid to run the company that wouldn’t hire him 15 years ago.
In 1992, he was an 18-year-old Springdale High School graduate and began selling real estate with ERA. At the time, he was the youngest licensed Realtor in Arkansas.
Three years later, he sought out The Griffin Co. and was told he was too young to be a sales agent. That was news he wouldn’t accept. Incited with new motivation, he earned his broker’s license and advanced to sales manager at Harris McHaney Realtors, where he stayed until 2008.
In 2009, his well-played success led him back to help merge the Griffin Company and Weichert Realtors-Clark, Long & Associates as sales manager for what is the fourth-largest real estate company in Northwest Arkansas.
Since he’s been in the real estate business, Graves has overseen more than $700 million in sales and has seen his personal sales increase each year.
“I love when a deal closes and everyone is happy,” he said. “I also enjoy seeing the agents grow and be successful.”
Graves serves on the board of directors for the Springdale Chamber of Commerce and is the director for Arkansas Regional Multiple Listing Service Inc.
A major “family man,” Graves enjoys hunting, fishing, football and coaching his son’s various sports teams.