Early Start Equals Fast Results

Grady Mathews spent several summers in his youth pouring and finishing concrete in the central-Oklahoma heat for his father’s company.

That experience, along with a year as a cashier while in high school, instilled a desire “to be successful or die trying.”

Before he finished high school, his parents had moved the family to Northwest Arkansas for opportunity.

Since he was 19 Mathews has held only commission-based positions. He went to work with his uncle’s commercial real estate practice under the Lindsey & Associates umbrella and worked there for five years doing general brokerage work and representing Murphy Oil in Arkansas. 

“My uncle opened my eyes to what was out there,” Mathews said of Bill McClard. “‘Dream big, but do it with logic.'”

By the age of 23, he’d already closed more than $12 million in transactions and wrapped up his study as a Certified Commercial Investment Member.

“I wanted to find something to do that I enjoyed and I like to work with people and I like setting people up with projects that work,” he said. “I love what I do … I love the idea of a career that has no ceiling.” 

In early 2008, he joined Grubb & Ellis – Solomon Partners as the he director of leasing and marketing for the Bentonville Plaza. He counts his move to Grubb & Ellis as the highlight of his career so far. During his tenure, Mathews has significantly upped the occupancy rate of the 261,911-SF building from 68 percent when he started to 85 percent today.

In his downtime, Mathews tinkers with a couple of four-wheel drive vehicles and plays acoustic guitar in the two-man cover band, Mike and Grady.

But his iPhone is ever-present and that keeps work close at hand.

“I think in this environment, you work whenever it’s avaialble,” Mathews said.

So what motivates him, makes him get out of bed in the morning?

“The fact that I can get out of bed in the morning,” he said. “You ought to be out bustin’ your butt doing everything you can do. You work hard and if you are passionate about what you do, you will be successful for it.

“I try not to get to bogged down in all the ancillary stuff.”