Parrish-McCall Constructors Inc., a Gainesville-based commercial contractor, is a new name with a storied history of building major projects throughout the heart of Florida and beyond.
Today, the company is well-positioned and dedicated to delivering its customers more than great projects but also great experiences.
“We really dig in and give our customers what they’re looking for,” company President Mike Walsh said. “We provide a great value that’s high-quality and on time.”
The company’s work is everywhere you turn. A trip through the University of Florida campus showcases many of the company’s projects, including the LEED® Gold Steinbrenner Band Building.
Driving down 39th Avenue, you pass two of the company’s more recent projects, Meadowbrook Elementary School and UF Health Shands Springhill Emergency Center.
These projects serve as examples of two of Parrish-McCall’s target markets: education and health care construction.
Although the education market has been and will continue to be a central focus, the company is making a stronger push into health care thanks to a strategic partnership with Jacksonville-based contractor Wayne McCall. In an effort to fully leverage the relationship, the company was renamed Parrish-McCall, carrying the weight of the two firms’ collective portfolios.
“We both became stronger because we’re able to share resources with each other,” Walsh said.
Parrish-McCall’s projects go well beyond educational and health care facilities. They include municipal projects such as the City of Gainesville’s Fire Station No. 8, the city’s new Fleet Maintenance Facility & Materials Management Facility and Alachua County’s new Kanapaha Park Freedom Community Center.
The company has also been part of the redevelopment of the University Heights area, completing three luxury student apartment complexes for Trimark Properties with a fourth project due to open this fall.
Regardless of the project, Walsh explained that the same fundamentals always apply. For his team, the basics include budgeting accurately as well as coordinating and communicating effectively with the entire team, which includes owners, engineers, architects, equipment suppliers and subcontractors.
“We work hard to provide the highest quality, while getting our clients the best bang for the buck,” Walsh said.
An experienced staff, which consists of many who have tenure that exceeds the 10-year mark, attends to details. The leadership team includes Bryan Harrington, director of project development, and Ed Myers, the company’s chief financial officer.
“We have a great group of people; principle among them are our project managers and superintendents, who excel where the rubber meets the road — in the bricks and mortar,” Walsh said.
Retaining that talent is crucial, he added.
“A key to keeping our staff with us is that we treat everyone like family,” he said.
In three-quarters of its projects, Parrish-McCall serves as a construction manager. The other projects are awarded by bids.
According to Reid Rivers, project manager for the city of Gainesville, Parrish-McCall was successful as the construction manager for the city’s fleet management-materials management project.
The city chose Parrish-McCall to be the construction manager, and it tasked the company with both building the facility and working with the city and its design consultants to make sure that the facility’s form and function were aligned with the budget.
“We had a very tight budget, and they had to do an awful lot to keep us within it,” Rivers said.
UF Health is another of the company’s satisfied customers.
“Parrish-McCall has a long working relationship with us because of its ability to successfully manage complex projects,” said Brad Pollitt, the hospital’s vice president of facilities. “Our community is lucky to have such a dedicated staff and a company with a long community history.”
Parrish-McCall’s work also extends beyond the borders of Alachua County. The company has completed numerous projects for Haven Hospice throughout North Central Florida, including recent projects in St. Augustine and Palatka.
“Over the past 10-plus years of working with Mike and Bryan and members of their staff, they have consistently provided very positive results,” said Tim Bowen, the organization’s executive director. “They have become an excellent partner on projects, and they have supported many of our events.”
Mercer Moorman (“M”) Parrish Jr., founder and patriarch of M.M. Parrish Construction Co. had a strong record of community involvement. Although the Parrish family is no longer involved in the construction side of the business and the name has changed, Parrish-McCall Constructors Inc. continues M’s legacy through active involvement and corporate citizenship in the communities where it does business.
Walsh is a past chairman of the Gainesville Area Chamber of Commerce and is actively involved in the Rotary Club of Greater Gainesville, where he served as president. He also serves as a board member of Catholic Charities.
Harrington is equally involved, serving on both the chamber’s Public Policy Committee and the board of directors for the Builders Association. He is the past chairman of both Junior Achievement and the Business Community Coalition, and he serves as club secretary for the Rotary Club of Gainesville Sunrise, where he will take the reigns as president in 2015.
“The principals of Parrish-McCall are leaders in the community,” said Chamber President Tim Giuliani. “Bryan Harrington, through the chamber, is helping to shape regional transportation policies, and Mike Walsh led county-wide economic development efforts while serving as chairman of the chamber’s board of directors.”
Walsh summed up the company’s involvement: “We are very invested in the community,” he said. “We’re grateful for the fruit of our work, and we want to plant seeds for other people to succeed.”