Page 119 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2019

Growing up on his family’s small farm in D’Iberville, Don Parker learned the meaning of hard work. When something needed to be done, the family pitched in to help, no matter the task. “I did a lot of carpentry work building family houses as a kid,” said Parker. “No one in our family hired contractors – if someone in the family needed a house, we would all get together and build it.”
As a teenager, Parker’s grandfather, George Martino, who was Biloxi’s building official at the time, would connect him with local contractors who were looking for skilled carpenters. One summer in particular, Parker recalls working for
a homebuilder named Sheldon Fountain. “We were building a large waterfront residence for Tom Compton, who was an architect. I was very impressed with the architectural features of the house, as well as the drawings he provided for the project.”
One day, when Compton visited the home site, Parker expressed his interest in architecture
and the architect gave him several of his older drawings and directed him to books that would help Parker to understand the field and its career opportunities. Following that conversation, Parker set off in pursuit of his dreams, studying drafting at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College’s Perkinston Campus and later majoring in architectural engineering technology at the University of Southern Mississippi.
After college, Parker headed to Florida where construction was booming. “I started as a field
engineer, visiting projects all over Florida,” he said. “My projects included Disney’s Yacht Club and Beach Club resorts, four Universal studios attractions, a four-story addition to the Mayo Clinic, Barnette tower, a 28-story retail and office building, prisons, shopping centers and several municipal buildings.”
As time went on, Parker became homesick.
When the gaming industry made its way to the Mississippi Gulf Coast, he saw his opportunity to return home. The casinos presented Parker with the chance to continue his work, all the while designing residential homes on the weekends and after hours to supplement his income. His love for residential work ultimately led him to open Parker Design and Management (PDM) in 2001, and the rest is history.
Over the past 18 years PDM has completed over 600 projects, ranging in both structural
and aesthetic qualities. “Unique projects are
my favorites – doing things that have not been done in our area is challenging, but I think most rewarding,” said Parker. “We design a wide variety of different styles, with a lot of different structural systems: wood, heavy timber, metal stud, structural steel, metal buildings, poured in place concrete, insulated concrete forms and precast concrete.”
What makes PDM so versatile is its knowledgable staff. The company has five in-office designers who have the experience and know how to make any project come to life. They work together in their office location on the corner of Woolmarket Road and Shortcut Road in Biloxi. >>
story by Kelsey Sunderman-Foster
photos courtesy of Parker Design & Management
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March 2019 • SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living 119