About Us - Learn about Parasol Awnings LLC
Content Updated: 5/1/2023
Our seasoned team at Parasol Awnings is able to do it all – design, manufacture and install – saving you time and money. We’re experts because that’s our business – our only business. And we stand behind the quality of our work.
Management, Front Office and Sales Team
- Michael Folk, President
- Andrew Henning, Sales
- Scott Folk, Sales
- Tammy Wommack, Office Manager / Sales Operations
- Sierra Lasher, Admin Assistant
- Laura McArtor, Marketing
Production and Installation Team
- Walt Harber, Production Manager
- Poli Montano, Welder
- James Green, Lead Installer
- John Dandridge, Installer
- Michael Johns, Installer
- Michael Bergeron, Installer
- Jose DeLeon, Installer
- Justin Parker, Installer
- KeAndre Taylor, Installer/Welder
- Marcus Bell, Installer
- Wendy Morales, Seamstress
- Lang Pham, Seamstress
- Alejandra Coello, Seamstress
Parasol has won numerous national and international awards including:
Industrial Fabric Association International Award for Fitzgerald’s Casino 43,000 Square Foot Canopy Project
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Southwest Industrial Fabric Association – First Place Achievement Award – for Edco Title Company Awning.
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Industrial Fabric Association International – Outstanding Achievement – for Memphis Pyramid Awning.
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Southwest Industrial Fabric Association – First Place Achievement Award – for Jefferson Square.
We build stronger to last longer
At Parasol Awnings, we produce a product better than our competitors because we use high-quality materials and superior craftsmanship. Our goal is to create great awnings and canopies that will last longer. That’s why every awning or canopy we produce has hand-welded aluminum frames, heat-sealed fabric and durable Tenara® thread. And, they each come with a total customer satisfaction guarantee. We’re not happy until you’re happy.
Our award-winning designs increase property values
We know there is more to an awning than just function. Our craftsmen can create an innovative design that gives a home or business that finishing touch. And when it comes to complex or unusual designs, our highly-skilled production team is up for the challenge. In fact, we’ve won numerous national and international design awards as a result. If you can dream it, we can build it.
Doing it all – design, manufacture, and install – saves you time and money
We’re experts because that’s our business – our only business. We stand behind the quality of our work. By managing the entire process ourselves, we consistently provide better pricing. Our designs are developed with the manufacturing process in mind, and that makes for a superior awning or canopy.
Experienced, in-house installers ensure quality
Most awning problems arise as a result of faulty installation. We minimize maintenance issues by using an experienced in-house installation team rather than contract with independent installers. Plus, having our own installation team provides more scheduling flexibility for our customers. We’re even available for emergency service requests.
Our wide coverage area means Parasol is there for you – anywhere you need us.
To accommodate our commercial customers with business throughout the Mid-South, we provide service throughout Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, as well as other surrounding states. Call or email us today to see if we service your area.
We take all the steps necessary to get you covered, and our warranty service keeps you covered. We have a vested interest in making sure the awning is designed, built and installed properly the first time, and that any warranty work is completed on-time and to you or your client’s complete satisfaction.
A company called Williams Shade & Awning Company was founded in 1910 and operated as a third-generation family business originally manufacturing interior window treatments. The awning product line was added in the 1950’s. Parasol Awnings, a competitor to Williams Shade, opened its doors in 1995. Parasol Awnings purchased Williams Shade & Awning Company in 1999, creating one company with 100 years of experience providing shade to Mid-South residents and businesses.
Parasol’s founder and President, Michael Folk, got into the awning business because of his family’s noted steakhouse – Folk’s Folly – started by his father. In his efforts to replace the restaurant’s awning, Folk tried to talk with the handful of awning companies in town at the time, but could either never get anyone to call him back or was told it would be more than two months to get the job done. Folk saw an immediate opportunity to create a reliable, service-driven awning company and realized that he could leverage his years of experience in the construction industry and his network of local contractors to become the premier provider of awnings and canopies in the Greater Memphis Area.
Today, most of the commercial awnings and canopies in the Memphis metro area have been designed, manufactured and installed by Parasol. Some of the company’s more notable clients include: Chili’s Bar & Grill, Embassy Suites, Roadshow BMW, TGI Fridays, Perkins Restaurants, Fresh Market, Folk’s Folly, Sam’s Town Hotel & Casino, Fitzgerald’s Casino, Marriott, Memphis City Schools, the Memphis Pyramid and many more. See our Awning & Canopy Gallery.
Parasol Awnings is an active member of the Memphis Chamber of Commerce, Better Business Bureau, IFAI (Industrial Fabric Association International), CSI (Construction Specification Institute), PAMA (Professional Awning Manufacturer Association), SWIFA (Southwest Industrial Fabric Association) and BOMA (Building Owners & Managers Association International).
