John Parker is the chief executive and founder of Parker Brown Inc., a Canoga Park-based construction company specializing in tenant improvements. The company has recently been doing a lot of work in the medical sector.
Parker is also involved in Mission Valley Bank and works with a number of Valley organizations. He sat down with the Business Journal at The California’s at the Sheraton Universal Hotel for a power lunch to discuss his career.
How do the types of properties Parker Brown worked on when it first launched compare to what you are doing now?
Today, Parker Brown is involved in a lot of medical suites, like surgery centers, infusion clinics and a variety of doctor offices. When we started 30 years ago, we mainly remodeled smaller offices and banks and some physical therapy offices.
Why did this change?
During Covid, as people were not in their offices, we pivoted more to medical and industrial and simply because there was a lot less office remodeling happening. We were able to maintain employment for all our staff.
How did the pandemic and rising costs impact the industry? Did either affect the way you do business?
The pandemic created a lot of challenges for PB with staff health issues and in relation to (the) supply chain. (The rising) costs made it difficult. There was great support from our vendors during this time. For instance, as we were limited to how many employees could be on a job site, some agreed to do a second shift (to work 2-10 p.m.). We are very happy to be part of creating a lot of facilities in our communities, building out urgent cares and surgery centers so folks are treated in their communities and not at hospitals.
What is next for the company?
PB will continue to grow, albeit at a more modest rate. There are still providers and management companies we would like to work for, and we have a large amount of repeat customers that will keep us busy for years to come.
How about for you? Are you scaling back your role at Parker Brown?
Chris Collier stepped up into operations and is doing a terrific job (and is now an officer at PB), so I will continue to step back and concentrate on business development as the company is in very capable hands. — Hannah Welk