Meet Russell Edwards! Russell is the owner of Platinum Plus Inspections and is a lifelong Gainesville resident. He is married to Karen, has two children and his favorite restaurant is Longstreet Cafe.
“I’m a fourth generation native to Hall County…I’ve lived in every part of Hall County that you can think of,” he said.
We want to thank Russell for spending time with us recently and telling us more about his life and love of Hall County.
Question: How did you choose your current career?
Answer: “I’m a fourth generation native to Hall County and I’ve had a lot of diverse jobs and as a child I was always drawing houses, I have this talent for art and I thought about architecture but I chose drafting,” he said. “I had an opportunity to get into the home inspection industry after working in drafting for 15 years, and it really fit who I am; in 2005 I became an inspector.”
Q: What is your favorite restaurant in Hall County?
A: “Longstreet Cafe…I could live off of cornbread and pinto beans, that’s how I was raised. I grew up on a farm that my grandfather divided among the children and we had 33 acres on the Jackson County line in Belmont.”
Q: What was the first movie that you saw in the theater?
A: “‘Smokey and the Bandit.'”
Q: What is your favorite thing about Hall County?
A: “It would be the community, really I see the community as my family. I get to be around the people as much or more as my family and everybody I see day to day is what makes me tick…
Q: What is something on your bucket list?
A: “For my wife and I to see the entire United States within a year.
Q: Who is one of the most interesting people that you have met in Hall County?
A: “It would have to be Abit Massey. He has a memory that unmatched by anyone else. I was in the Gainesville Rotary Club and Abit Massey just remembers everything about the person he is introducing.”
Q: If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
A: “Ireland, I think I have a rich uncle there! Really, it looks like the most beautiful place in the world.”
Q: Where do you see yourself in five or 10 years?
A: “Delegating the business but being a part of it, traveling with my wife, I have a desire to have some time of charity. That is very close to my wife and my heart and possibly being a part of a ministry in a church again. For 13 years, I was active in several church’s music ministry; Montgomery Baptist, Hopewell Baptist and currently we attend Free Chapel.”
Q: Who who would you want to have lunch with, dead or alive, and where would you go?
A: “He’s alive, Pastor Jentzen Franklin. He is humble, he’s been successful but mostly because of the influence he has.”
Q: What three bands would you want to see, dead or alive?
A: “Early it was Huey Lewis and the News, I loved his music style. My favorite music is Christian, Third Day and Casting Crowns.”
Q: What is something about you that most people don’t know?
A: “I’m smarter than I look! I’ve got a degree in Biblical Studies and I love the arts. I’ve done everything from dancing to drawing, I love being expressive.”
The Faces of Hall County is a project to showcase the amazing people that live or work in our community. If you would like to nominate an interesting person to be featured please email babernathy@gonorton.com.