TVLSE, Oklv. – Mvskoke citizen Timothy Jackson understands the importance of failure. Jackson even describes himself as “a loser who never gave up.” That drive is what gives Jackson a sense of vision and purpose to grow and build his business, Narcomey Construction.
“Construction management has provided me with the best opportunity that I can provide back to our people. And through the experience and the education, I’m able to bring that back. And that’s the reason why Narcomey was founded.” – Narcomey Construction Owner Timothy Jackson
Narcomey Construction has partnered with tribal nations, banks, schools, and municipal authorities and has handled construction, remodels, and development. Recent and current projects Narcomey Construction has completed are the recent second floor remodel at Council Oak Clinic that created a hospice unit, the pharmacy, and third floor rooms for medical staff. They are currently doing work on the Hard Rock Casino, remodeling its hotel tower, and have just broken ground on a new Cherokee Nation Head Start project in Jay, Oklahoma. They were also responsible for the Cherokee Hastings Hospital, remodeling its professional building, surgical areas, corridors, and pharmacies. Additionally, Narcomey Construction was recently awarded the paint and drywall finishing scope of work on the Muscogee (Creek) Nation Citizens Services Building at the tribal complex in Okmulgee.
Jackson sees Mvskoke ingenuity and progress in a historical sense, stating,
“Entrepreneurialism to me, it’s innate. It’s who I am. It’s in my DNA,” Jackson said. “And you look at everything our people have endured since the beginning of time. They were never people to just do what someone tells them to do. They built their own civilization. They built their own government. They built everything, towns, the clan system. They were builders. They were entrepreneurs in a modern sense.”
Jackson’s drive also played a pivotal role in getting him back in school after a failed first college experience. After working as an oil-field mechanic and then on a tribal construction crew, Jackson’s mom, Jackie Jackson, encouraged him to go back and get a degree in construction management.
“She said, ‘If you go back to school, you should really consider construction management. You can get a job anywhere, that is the future,’…she was like, you can be the future of the industry. And so I listened to her.” Jackson said.
The grandson of Mvskoke artist Jackson Narcomy, Jackson also credits his grandfather with helping him get back on track. He shared that his Grandpa Narcomey gave him the money to pay off debt while transferring to Oklahoma State University. He remembers his grandfather telling him, “I’ll give you the money to help you pay your school, but you better do everything in your power to be the best that the market has because this money is not for nothing.”
That conversation sparked a fire in Jackson. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering Technology and Construction Management from Oklahoma State University in 2014. That conversation was so indelible to Jackson that he named his company after his grandfather. Jackson shared, “My grandfather didn’t have any sons so his name died…So, you know, the name didn’t pass on from his side. He was always in my corner when I was in school.” The connection is a daily reminder as well. Narcomey’s artwork takes pride of place throughout the walls of the construction company’s office.
Jackson remembers helping build arbors at churches and doing laborer jobs to get the bills paid, but it wasn’t until he learned more about the professional side of the industry that he knew it was his future. Jackson shared that he likes construction because he can make design dreams into concrete realities. He considers his architect partners the dreamers while he is the builder. He explained, “What I enjoy the most is mainly just watching it go up in its sequence and its process and knowing all the things, in and out, where everything happens, all the screws, and everything that goes into a building, you know, that’s what I enjoy.”
Jackson knows it takes a village, even in the world of business. His experience as an entrepreneur, like most, is one of risk management. Jackson has learned how to incrementally take larger risks to safely grow his business.
“It’s not all me. Entrepreneurialism is not just one individual,” Jackson said. “I may have been the one that holds the vision and I’ve wanted to strive for it. I’ve sacrificed a lot to build this from nothing.”
Jackson credits his team for the success Narcomey Construction has achieved including his family, his partners, his crew, and his accountant. Jackson especially credits his mother for giving him advice. “I was always that young kid that was just following my mother because I could see what she was doing and learn from it,” he related.
For Jackson, and the future of Narcomey Construction, success is an act of recognition and respect for the past. In speaking of his ancestors, both recent and far, he said, “I honestly feel that I can’t be here without them. I have to honor them in the best way I know how to. And that’s simply striving for success. And that’s striving to be the best that I can be, provide the best quality we can, be the best professional company that’s out there that looks like us, that feels like us, that sees like us.”
