INSPIRING INDIVIDUAL


Rising Construction Professional and Community Advocate Anthony Fagan


BY CAROL EATON A


dvocate for the underserved. Community changemaker. Rising construction industry


professional. Role model. Tose are just a few of the descriptions


that could be applied to Anthony Fagan, an assistant superintendent for PCL Construction who is playing a key role on Destination Crenshaw, a transformational community project under construction in South Los Angeles. Te project celebrates the Black expe-


rience in the same neighborhood in which Fagan grew up. Billed as the largest Black public art project in the United States (and possibly, the world) with more than 100 public artworks, Destination Crenshaw is creating a pipeline of work and jobs not only for Black artists in the Los An-


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CALIFORNIA CONSTRUCTOR NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2023


geles region, but also for the community members who are helping build it. Te project has an unprecedented 70% local hire goal to create new jobs for local Black construction workers.


Catalyst for Growth PCL is serving as general contractor on the cultural infrastructure project that runs for 1.3 miles along Crenshaw Boulevard. It is designed to be a catalyst for economic development and growth, supporting entrepreneurship and local businesses on this iconic Black business corridor. Fagan is excited to be part of the team


that is delivering a historic project that brings major employment and new career oppor- tunities for area residents while infusing substantial capital into the local economy.


“It has been the greatest experience to be able to work in a community where I was once part of the problem, and now I am part of the solution,” he commented. “To work on this project is everything.” Te project was championed by his good friend Nipsey Hussle, the late rapper, activist, and Crenshaw native. Raised by his grandmother in the


very neighborhood where he now works, Fagan overcame serious roadblocks and bad choices early in his life to get to where he is today, employed by one of the nation’s largest general contractors on a project of monumental importance to the region. His journey was one that is all too common in urban South Los Angeles. “Most kids grew up having superheroes.


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