Hometown NFL star to invest in Blytheville

By Marcus McClain

NEA Town Courier

The issues around housing in Mississippi County, and specifically Blytheville, may be receiving some answers in the near future with the help of a home-grown NFL star turned real estate investor.

Jermey Parnell is looking to help build luxury, affordable housing within the city of Blytheville with a goal of 144 units. His dive into real-estate started with a simple visit from a realtor, appreciating the landscaping of his driveway. As the conversation progressed, Parnell’s interest began to grow and lead to deep dive of research into the industry.

“When I officially retired from the NFL, I was asking around and doing research to figure out what was my next move,” Parnell said. “From there I got books, went on biggerpockets.com and started studying more about real estate. I pulled my first trigger in Jonesboro and bought a duplex.”

Three-years later, Parnell holds nearly 70 properties and is building an additional six houses in Texas. After gaining more experience in the industry, Parnell believes now is the time to return home and invest in the community that helped raise him.

“My lawyer always told me to find my fishing hole. Meaning, to find a palace where you like the conditions of the situation and use it to your best ability. I started in Jonesboro to learn the market and learn the game of real estate. Looking for my next move, I was reading the paper and saw [an article] saying Mississippi County needed housing,” Parnell said.

He later added, “The more I got familiar with properties in Blytheville and some of the old landlords in the town, the properties weren’t bad but they were in bad shape. And I’m not a slumlord. That’s one thing I don’t agree with and the people around me don't agree with. I’m all about advancing the quality and life and I’ve decided to come back home and start that process.”

The idea is for each unit to be two to three bedrooms and possibly begin construction as soon as this summer. He also stated that he’s met with Senator Dave Wallace on several occasions to discuss the project and begin the process. “Senator Wallace has been very key in this whole process and some of his relationships are going to play a key part in this development,” Parnell added.

As a source of inspiration to young athletes in the community now, Parnell also offered a piece of advice that can apply to the youth, as well as adults, in any walk of life.

“You’ve got to have a plan, a direction. And you have faith to believe in yourself over all the naysayers. Keep in mind, I started off playing basketball and switched over to football. [Playing football] doesn’t mean I’m just a football player. It meant I was an athlete. Find out what your strengths and weaknesses are, set goals and find out when, how and why you want to accomplish those goals.”

He also added, “I learned a lot of things growing up on the eastside of Blytheville. Just by driving around, I’ve seen the changes to the highways and things, but it’s been a long time since anybody has really just done something for the city. You can go to Wikipedia and see that there’s a lot of people with some influence from Blytheville that haven’t done anything for Blytheville. I’m just looking at this [project] as an opportunity to empower where I came from.”