Tony and Colton Langford
Tony Langford grew up in Gilmer, Texas, but his early life was difficult. His parents divorced at a young age, and Tony’s mother worked numerous hours to support the family, which led to her lack of presence in the home. “To be honest, I started drinking at the age of 12. I drank 24/7 and started getting into a ton of trouble. I was not a bad kid; I just did dumb things out of boredom,” Tony says.
“I started helping in my father’s roofing business, Randy Langford Roofing, when I was seven years old, cleaning the ground. At 12, I started nailing shingles part-time through the summers and weekends. At 16, when I quit school, I started working full-time. By 17, I was running a sub-crew for my father. I will say that in my early years, I looked at roofing as a miserable job. I hate the heat with a passion, so I looked at it as an ‘unimpressive’ job. But as I entered my mid-20s, I have grown to appreciate and be proud of what I do. This career has allowed me to support my family well. I am very proud of our legacy and our name,” Tony says.
Tony moved to Texarkana in his 20s and began advertising the Tony Langford Roofing & Construction business. He began doing one job here and another there, and the business bloomed once his name got out. Today, the company works on 16-25 houses per week, with their highest week yielding 32 houses.
“It doesn’t matter what I am doing in life – work, school, sports – I go all out. One of my kids said to me, ‘You are the most competitive guy I have ever seen.’ Well, it has gotten me to where I am today,” Tony says.
Tony welcomed his first son, Colton, when he was 18. “I put the brakes on my childhood dumb moves when I brought Colton home. I did not want my children to experience the childhood I grew up with. At first, I was excited to have Colton. I 100% did not know what I was doing, but having Colton was a great feeling,” he says. Tony worked a lot, but he knew the importance of spending a lot of time with Colton and did just that. The father-son duo started with sports, although Colton decided he did not like that. They often went to the movies and did other things that sparked Colton’s interest.
During high school, Colton excelled in his academic classes. He graduated from Pleasant Grove High School in 2016 and began his collegiate studies at Henderson State University. Soon, he graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in history and a minor in political science. “Colton graduated with honors and received a 50% scholarship to law school. He earned his Juris Doctorate and Graduate Certificate in Business Law, cum laude, from the University of Arkansas School of Law, Fayetteville,” Tony says. Most of Colton’s work experience was in the legal aid field, helping low-income people get the legal help they needed but could not afford. With Colton’s efforts, he was awarded the Pro Bono Student Volunteer of the Year Award from the Legal Aid of Arkansas and was a recipient of the Pro Bono Silver Medallion at the University of Arkansas School of Law.
The father-son duo decided to embark upon a two-week vacation before Colton faced the bar exam. “We drove the entire Route 66!” Tony says. “Afterwards, Colton worked as a legal aid at Langdon Davis while preparing for his bar exam. Colton took the Arkansas Bar Exam in February 2023 and scored the highest in Arkansas and the top one percent of nationwide scores. Colton received several job offers and settled with the Langdon Davis Law Firm in Texarkana.”
Today, Colton enjoys a successful career at the local law firm. He does not specialize in one specific area; rather, he practices family law, contract drafting, business law, and personal injury. “Colton is built completely on logic. Every decision is calculated and thought out. He is very honest, caring, and good-hearted,” Tony says.
Colton recently won the prestigious 2024 Texarkana’s Top Young Lawyer award, which is voted on by Texarkana residents through ALT Magazine.
Tony desired for Colton to become a good, hard-working, intelligent, kind, and happy son. Colton did just that. He took the framework his father provided and shaped his character and approach to life into something Tony is extremely proud of today. “I am proud of the man Colton is, how he treats people, his work ethic, and his accomplishments. He genuinely is a good person. Not all my kids operate like Colton; I’ve never had to force him to do things in life. He has been a God-sent as a son and saved me a lot of stress and headaches,” Tony says.