With offices in Atlanta, Los Angeles, and San Antonio — Fulcrum Construction creates high-quality, people-centered, retail commercial construction built to inspire. Marlon Parnell has joined Fulcrum Construction and answered a few questions about his career and journey in the construction industry.
Name: Marlon Parnell
Job Title: Owner Site Representative, Target
Goal: To Own His First Home
Summary
Marlon grew up with a love for art, but it wasn’t until ConstructReach came along that he realized that he could turn that love into a career. For Marlon, construction is art. As an Owner Site Representative for Target, he approaches every project like it’s a blank canvas–from foundational framing to remodeling the interior. Marlon says that his construction experience and working for Target both play a huge role in his success.
Can you share a little about yourself?
I was born and raised in Miami, FL. I have a total of 4 siblings. I’m the middle child. Football is my passion and I’ve played football since I was 5 years old. I even coached college football last year before graduating from Tuskegee University. Other hobbies I love to do in my free time are drawing, skating, visiting amusement parks and art museums, and cooking.
What inspired you to enter your career field?
Deciding my career path was pretty simple. As I mentioned, I enjoy everything about art. Construction is art. Every art project starts with a blank page and ends with a masterpiece. That’s the same with every Target store. The store starts from nothing then blossoms into a beautiful Target building.
What are your day-to-day responsibilities?
I’m an Owner Site Representative (OSR) reporting to Target Headquarters. My role consists of managing construction projects from the field. You have to be willing to travel to be an OSR. 85% of an OSR’s job is traveling to various counties, states, and even countries. Currently, COVID19 has restricted a lot of travel and even postponed a lot of Target new store construction and remodels. My day-to-day responsibilities consist of reviewing plans and specs before Target construction projects start and during construction, troubleshooting any mistakes in the plans and even fixing mistakes during construction. Controlling meetings with the general contractor (GC) and store teams including the store managers, PML’s, and ETL remodels. I like to explain my role as working in between the GC and store teams.
What’s one piece of advice that you would give to a young professional?
Get ahead of the game and learn the ends and outs of construction now while you are young. Get into the habit of working as a team with many different people and personalities will be vital to success. I was fortunate enough to work as a laborer over the summers I didn’t receive an internship. Working as a laborer helped me strengthen my communication skills and my ability to be successful using tools I never used before. It was a valuable experience that to this day still helps me in my career. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and try something new before starting your career.
Are there any short-term or long-term goals that you have for yourself?
Yes, I’ve already accomplished a lot in the past year working for Target. From purchasing my dream car a couple of months ago to getting back into tip-top shape like I was when I played football in college. Within a year, I plan on purchasing and moving into my first house. I also want to give back to the community more. From mentoring the next generation to building iconic landmarks in the community that bring everyone together.ving into my first house.
