Larry Brinker Jr.’s father was a truck driver. Most statistics would say, Larry Brinker Jr. should have been too. But today he’s the President and CEO of Brinker Group, the largest Black-owned construction company in the United States. More importantly his journey of hard work, legacy of entrepreneurship and focus on stable growth are powerful.
Key Points:
- The inspiring legacy of Larry Brinker Sr., who started as a truck driver and built a construction empire
- How Brinker Jr. grew the company by 400% through professionalizing the organization
- Why being “the best contractor who happens to be Black” is their positioning strategy
- The importance of building genuine relationships versus transactional networking
- Why entrepreneurs should focus on passion rather than just chasing profits
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A Legacy Built on Five Minutes of Opportunity
Larry Brinker Jr. began by sharing the remarkable story of his father, Larry Brinker Sr., whose journey exemplifies the American dream. At 21, Brinker Sr. walked into a carpentry company looking for work, only to be initially turned away. As fate would have it, the company’s owner overheard the conversation and invited him in for a five-minute chat.
“If it wasn’t for that five-minute conversation, I may not be sitting in this seat today,” Brinker Jr. reflected. The owner offered his father a job as a truck driver with a promise: show up consistently, work hard, and he would sponsor him through apprenticeship school.
Brinker Sr. seized the opportunity, determined to be “the best value employee” the owner had. He progressed from truck driver to journeyman carpenter, then foreman, and eventually superintendent. After ten years, he launched his own company, Brinker Team Construction, which expanded to include multiple specialized construction businesses.
This origin story highlights a philosophy that still guides the company today: “Show up. Work hard. Add value.”
Building a Construction Empire for the Future
When discussing his own leadership journey, Brinker Jr. explained how he transitioned into running the company. After earning a civil engineering degree with a concentration in construction management from the University of Michigan, he worked in virtually every role in the company.
Rather than immediately handing over the reins, his father hired an outside executive for a four-year transition period to train his son. This structured approach proved invaluable: “Year one to being a sponge… Year three, I was making decisions for the company with him as a backstop… And then by year four, he was a figurehead and I truly was running the business.”
Upon taking full leadership, Brinker Jr. focused on professionalizing the organization:
“I focused on strategy. I focused on identifying the risk and figuring out how to mitigate that risk. And I built an executive team, so that it wouldn’t just be me… I wanted to focus on accountability and make sure that people had autonomy.”
The results speak for themselves: under his leadership, the company has grown by 400%, transforming from five separate companies operating in silos to an integrated group working cohesively.
Beyond the “Minority Business” Label
One of the most interesting aspects of the conversation was Brinker Jr.’s approach to the company’s identity. In 2018, they made a strategic decision to rebrand, removing “minority business enterprise” and “MBE” from all marketing materials.
“We wanted to make sure that we were positioning ourselves as first and foremost, a quality contractor, and we just so happen to be Black,” Brinker Jr. explained. “Even as we win work, we win work because of our capabilities, our experience, our staff, and our know-how. And if you need a certificate on top of that, great, we have it.”
This approach has helped them avoid being pigeonholed and has allowed them to build sustainability into their business model. Brinker Jr. contrasted this with companies that “lead with a certificate” but don’t develop the infrastructure to survive changing market conditions.
Entrepreneurial Wisdom for Today’s Business Environment
When asked about advice for today’s entrepreneurs, Brinker Jr. offered insights that challenge the instant-gratification culture:
“Everything is fast. If you want food, you can DoorDash… If you want to lose weight, people are taking shots to lose weight… And I think new entrepreneurs think that they can do the same thing quickly. When you build a business, it’s not quick.”
Instead, he emphasized:
- Invest in relationships: “Deposit the meaningful resources needed to build genuine relationships… People like to do work with people they like.”
- Build the right team: “If I didn’t have the team that I have, I wouldn’t be here talking to you right now. I wouldn’t have the success that I’ve had.”
- Maintain clarity of vision: “You have to know which mountain top you’re trying to get to… The path may zigzag up that mountain, but you’re still going to that same point.”
- Focus on 10X moves: “Figure out what are those real things that move the needle 10X so you don’t end up having yourself and your employees on a hamster wheel churning, and you’re only moving 2X.”
- Embrace learning from failure: “Don’t be afraid to learn because things aren’t always gonna go right. And part of that experience and wisdom and knowledge for you to be successful will come through those shortcomings.”
Passion as the Foundation for Success
Brinker Jr. concluded with perhaps his most powerful insight: “The biggest thing is chase your passion. Because if you’re passionate about something, you’re gonna work harder… But if you’re only doing it for the money, typically, you’re not gonna work as hard.”
This philosophy has carried the Brinker Group through challenges and positioned them as a dominant force in the construction industry. Their work is visible throughout Detroit, having been involved in approximately 85% of the major projects that have contributed to the city’s revitalization.
Throughout the conversation, Brinker Jr. demonstrated how combining his father’s legacy of hard work with modern business approaches has created a formula for multigenerational success—a blueprint that entrepreneurs across industries can learn from.
