Have you ever met someone who was so cool that just by being in proximity to them you felt cool? They just seem to radiate this confidence that makes you feel like the best version of yourself. You laugh a little harder, hold your head a little higher. And afterwards you look forward to seeing them again, but honestly, you’re a little intimidated by all of their incredible achievements, so you think to yourself, “I really need to get the ball rolling…”
If you haven’t met someone like that, you should. You should meet Dexter Price.
It all started 4 years ago, with the purchase of two used computers from eBay, a small house on Hampton Avenue, a lot of hard work and the energy that only Dexter brings to the table. He started a staffing agency, APS, which has since grown to include North and South Carolina as well as Georgia. By next year at this time, if all goes to plan, APS will be national.
So what makes APS different from other companies in that industry? “I like to buck the system,” he tells me. Dexter Price embraces new technology. He challenges traditional molds. He is rethinking convention. “When you’re in school, you get used to the sound of a bell ringing. It lets you know when and where you should be. Kinda like Pavlov. Then, you get to the ‘real world’. It’s so free-flowing — a lot of people don’t know what to do, so they jump … into a job, or into debt, and they don’t end up chasing their dreams. They get caught in the ebb and flow of what they were told life is supposed to be, rather than living out their purpose. It’s about upward mobility. If you give people a chance, they’ll take it.”
It all started a while ago, when Dexter decided against a third year at Clemson. “It doesn’t take me that long to learn … four years? You’re just taking attendance. Why waste a year on something I can learn in a month?” he asked. So he put his tuition money into real estate, right in the middle of the housing bubble. He tended bar at night, using his tip money to fix up his new properties until they were tenant ready. Dexter was now a landlord. But that was just the beginning.
As he got to know the families that rented from him, he realized he was in a position to help them. They wanted more … they wanted their fair share. They wanted a decent job. “This is a good guy,” Dexter explains, “he just needs to learn how to interview … how to present himself.” And so Dexter helped. He created APS. He ran the front desk. He worked as a recruiter. He did sales. He spearheaded development. As the company grew, the ripple effect spread out from the little house on Hampton, impacting the lives of the folks who found respectable work, their families, and even the scruffy old men who hang out in front of the BP all day with brown paper bags in their hands. Eventually they crossed the street, and met Dexter Price, and found work. And purpose.
It all started over 20 years ago, when Dexter was six years old. Mortal Kombat had just come out on the Sega Genesis, and he had to have it. His Mom and Dad said “no.” That wasn’t good enough for Dexter Price. He walked down to the local car wash and applied for a job. The owner laughed and said he was too young. So Dexter took his brochure and went home. With the aid of Microsoft Windows Word Art, he “borrowed” from the brochure, and made his own. Except his prices were all a dollar less. He took out an advertisement in the paper. His DIY car wash ran for six years, until he reached the seasoned age of 12. But he didn’t stop there:
“I was 17. I dropped out of high school to be a rapper. It didn’t work out, obviously,” he says with a laugh. His mother got him a job with the county “moving sticks… in the woods… in February.” One day he asked his supervisor, “What were they going to build?” He replied, “Nothing.” “Then why were they picking up sticks?” To which the supervisor replied, “I just didn’t want y’all sitting around.” It was work without purpose. And that’s really not Dexter Price’s style. The lessons learned from that experience pushed him down a path to a G.E.D., to Tri-County, to Clemson. And to the man he is today.
What makes you feel insecure?
“My business struggles. But it’s also my struggles that make me stronger.”
What’s been your greatest challenge?
“Being young and fast. My gift is my curse.”
What’s been your greatest achievement?
“My daughters … my kids are really cool.”
Something people would be surprised to learn?
“Not much, I’m an open book.”
What do you look for in a romantic interest?
“Honesty… and humor. If a woman is honest or funny, that’s good, but honest and funny is the best.”
Cheesy pick up lines?
“My name is Dexter, but you can call me … tonight.”
Trait you deplore in others?
“Meanness. When people intentionally hurt others. There’s no reason to ever look down on somebody.”
What love advice would you offer the world?
(Dexter took the longest pause of the interview at this point. He seemed to be ready for any question, but this one took time to come out.) “Be with your best friend. Love is not just romantic. It’s a lot of things. It’s brutally honest. It’s supportive, like you’d be with your best friend.”
Any regrets?
“Not taking more time to learn how to love.”
Bucket List?
“Marriage… a family… and a boat.”
What are you listening to?
“Go Harder by Future… Good Kid Mad City by Kendrick Lamar.”
Book(s) you’d recommend?
“Outliers… and 48 Laws of Power.”
Why do you think you ‘fight the bell’?
“Because… that’s the point. That’s my purpose. I am where I am because of my failures. And because of the people who were there to pick me up when I failed.”
Who/what made you who you are?
“My mom… Mom and Dad… but, yeah, my Mom, most of all.”
Any guilty pleasures?
For the first time in the interview Dexter offer no audible response. Instead a grin creeps across his face, holding back a secret, adding to the mystery of Mr. Price. He is humble. He is magnanimous. He is so incredibly cool. You should really meet Dexter Price. You’d be a lot cooler if you did.
Interview By Matthew Wynn • Photography by Monte Holt • Clothing sponsored by Lionel Smith, Ltd.
