Hidden Gems: Meet Fahteema Parrish of Parrish & Sons Construction

Today we’d like to introduce you to Fahteema Parrish. Them and their team share their story with us below:

Don’t let the gender fool you, Fahteema Parrish is the Founder and President of Parrish & Sons Construction company. Her drive as a business owner stems from her upbringing. Raised by parents who owned and operated a successful HVAC company, during her early informative years, Parrish learned both aspects of running a successful business. A daddy’s girl, Parrish was always around her father watching and helping him with property inspections and fieldwork. At the same time, she learned from her hard-working mother who handled the accounting aspects of the family business.

With both successful and intelligent parents who provided quality service to their customers, it was evident that Parrish would succeed in any and everything she put her mind to.

Likewise, before Parrish & Sons, Parrish completed her undergraduate and graduated education in the field of technology. Soon after graduation, she landed employment in her field and worked for more than 20 years in the tech industry.

Parrish’s 20 years of experience in technology as a Computer Programmer, Systems Analyst, and Designer & Process Innovator, give Parrish & Sons the foundation and the cutting edge that is needed in the construction industry.

Why? Technology is always evolving. It has taken over and has made improvements in every industry, including the construction industry.

Likely, with Parrish’s technical background coupled with her construction education and experience, Parrish quickly learns new construction software, adapts, and can make an expert decision about new technology and how it may, in the long-term, have a negatively or a positive impact on a project’s structure. This is what sets Parrish & Sons apart from other construction companies. Parrish’s expertise in both fields allows her to make expert decisions for her clients. And unlike other construction companies, who may implement new tools without knowledge or research, Parrish is not quick to jump on the bandwagon and implement new products that may compromise the integrity of a client’s building structure. Likely, she is not afraid to have those tough conversations with clients because integrity is in her blood, and you can’t teach that.

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?
Access to capital, land to store equipment, fair/competitive bond premiums, fair LOC premiums, reluctance or lack of support by financial institutions due to redlining.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Parrish & Sons Construction is a 100% Woman Owned, licensed, insured, bonded, & certified M/WBE/DBE/SLBE general contractor self-performing Earthwork as it relates to Land Clearing, Demolition, Excavation, Grading, Storm Utilities & Hauling.

Our focus is Safety, Quality & Productivity.

Safety is first despite the industry, there’s no debate, nothing more important than safety. Parrish & Sons Construction promotes safety in a top-down approach as an organizational culture that places a high level of importance on safety beliefs, values and attitudes. Our workforce is highly trained to accomplish their tasks with a safety-first mindset. Everyone is a competent person, if they see something proactive steps are taken. This remains our fundament approach and most important aspect of our safety procedures —not reacting.

Our founder, Fahteema Parrish, is OSHA30 certified and directly responsible for the implementation of Parrish & Sons Construction’s safety and health program. Fahteema develops site-specific plans for each project, which supplement any requirements requested by the client. Our safety strategist visits our sites multiple times each week as a valuable resource for our project teams.

Retrospect is one of Fahteema’s primary responsibilities, she reviews and schedules all safety meetings, tracks the status of staff certifications and skills, and regularly audits the safety performance of Parrish & Sons Construction (and its subcontractors) on each project. Lessons learned from the retrospect become action items implemented on the next project as each time a service is done again, it’s done better!

What was Fahteema like growing up?
A daddy’s girl, Parrish was always around her father watching and helping him with property inspections and fieldwork. At the same time, she learned from her hard-working mother who handled the accounting aspects of the family business. Having tried multiple other businesses, she was able to fail forward with her entrepreneurial spirit at heart.

Contact Info:

• Email: [email protected]
• Website: parrishandsonsconstruction.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parrishandsonsconstruction/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/parrishandsonsconstruction
• Twitter: @parrish_n_sons
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCup0kqMNVKh3Znh46DHJJUg

Image Credits:
Kamaisha Tyner, Dignified Digital