Conversations with Josh Gray

Today we’d like to introduce you to Josh Gray.

Hi Josh, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
Back in 2004 I had just moved down to Denver from Northern Colorado. I had been a commercial fisherman in Alaska for the previous seven years and my partner and I had just had our son. At that time I decided I didn’t want to be away from home anymore. I landed a job as a laborer at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Colorado. That was my introduction to construction. Concrete forming, concrete finishing, steel stud framing and commercial drywall. From that point on Drywall just became my thing.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
I have been super blessed with a full calendar ever since I started my business eight years ago. However, some of the struggles have been finding good helpers and consistent subcontractors. Nobody loves your business like you do

Technical difficulties are my biggest problem! I’m a blue-collar kind of guy and computer stuff drives me crazy. Last fall I had AI censor my Facebook page for reasons I never discovered, but it closed down my Facebook page and my Instagram page. At the time, my Instagram page has 17,000 followers and I was one of the biggest influencers for Drywall on Instagram. I had to start my account all over from the bottom and now currently have less than 300 followers! But through all of that, I was extremely humbled and in the end I feel like it was a good experience for me to go through.

Another problem I’ve run into was once I had acquired around 80 5-star reviews on my company Google page, someone hacked my page and held it for ransom. They tried to sell it back to me for $500! I told him they could keep it and I started a new page. That really affected the flow of business for a while until I was able to build up another stack of reviews.

As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
So I repair Drywall during and after bathroom remodels, kitchen remodels, water leaks, cracks from foundation movement, etc.

I specialize in matching Texture. Many parts of the country are not used to having texture on their walls. In the Midwest and New England, for example, many walls are smooth, but here in Colorado most walls have either hand textures or spray textures. I have found that it is very important to people that the texture’s match and blend well and I’ve also found that very few people in my part of the country are any good at it!

When people ask me, what makes you good at it, I think it’s simply caring. You just have to care what the outcome looks like and you have to care about your customers.

Some creative endeavors I’ve been involved in is applying Fresco Harmony color treatment to walls and ceilings. It’s a great alternative to painting and fills in the room with beautiful colors and Venetian plaster-like depth!

Can you talk to us a bit about the role of luck?
I don’t believe in luck! I believe in God, karma, energy, vibrations! I believe that all my success is thanks to God, I take very little credit for my success. My courage to start my business came from God, my gifts to run my business came from God And I’m reminded of my blessings each and every day!

Pricing:

• 115.00/hr typically for most services

Contact Info:

• Website: https://thedrywallartistllc.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thedrywallartist?igsh=djBobXd2cDMxdXk%3D&utm_source=qr
• Youtube: https://youtube.com/@thedrywallartistllc4185?si=_D94Bd4Iy_cD8yMM
• Other: https://www.google.com/gasearch?q=the%20drywall%20artist,%20llc&source=sh/x/gs/m2/5#ebo=0