Meet Parthenia Denise Figaro

We had the good fortune of connecting with Parthenia Denise Figaro and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Parthenia Denise, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
My thought process behind starting my own business was rooted in both necessity and clarity. Two years ago, I left Amazon after years of leading high-impact initiatives — from launching last-mile delivery stations across the country to working on cutting-edge retail technology like Just Walk Out. My last project, consulting with NYU Health on the rollout of Amazon One’s biometric ID technology, reminded me just how much I love working at the intersection of tech, systems, and physical space.

But as much as I appreciated the scale and structure of corporate work, I also felt a deep pull to return to my roots — to create something of my own that blended both the technical precision I developed at Amazon and the generational knowledge I inherited from my family in planning, zoning, and development.

Starting my own business wasn’t about chasing freedom or titles — it was about building something that aligned with my values and my lived experience. I wanted to work on projects where I could control the narrative, protect the vision, and work in a way that honors both process and people. Architechie allows me to do just that — through my technical project management consulting practice and through Architechy Homes, my real estate development firm focused on thoughtful, design-driven infill housing.

Launching these businesses has challenged me in every way — especially as someone who came into corporate and entrepreneurship without a degree. But it also reminded me that I’ve always known how to lead, how to build, and how to get things done. Starting my business wasn’t just a corporate career pivot — it was a decision to trust myself.

What should our readers know about your business?
Business Name: Architechy Homes DBA Architechie

Architechie is the umbrella brand for my work at the intersection of technology, commercial construction, and real estate development. It houses two complementary arms:
• Architechie, my technical project management consulting practice, and
• Architechy Homes, my residential real estate development and consulting firm.

What sets my business apart is that both sides are grounded in intentionality, precision, and purpose. Architechie was born from my time at Amazon, where I led large-scale infrastructure and retail innovation projects — from last-mile delivery station builds to the launch of AI-driven retail tech like Just Walk Out. That experience shaped how I think about systems, scale, and execution. Today, I bring that same discipline into my consulting work, managing high-stakes rollouts for clients like NYU Health, including complex biometric tech integrations across their hospital network.

On the real estate side, Architechy Homes is where my passion and family legacy come full circle. We specialize in residential infill developments — townhome clusters, affordable housing, and cottage court communities in cities like Atlanta and Charlotte. I manage everything from zoning and entitlement to design and strategic execution. This work is personal — it honors my mother and aunt, both longtime public servants and planners, who showed me the power of shaping communities from the inside out.

Getting here hasn’t been easy. I don’t have a traditional degree, and I’ve had to navigate male-dominated industries — both in tech and real estate — with a lot of self-trust, persistence, and hard-earned lessons. I’ve learned how to lead from the ground up, protect my vision, and build structures that work both technically and culturally.

What I want people to know about me and my brand is this: I build with care. Every project I touch — whether it’s a hospital rollout or a housing development — is about doing more than delivering on a spec sheet. It’s about making systems, spaces, and outcomes more human, more thoughtful, and more sustainable.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
If my best friend was visiting the city, I’d take them on a weeklong tour of culture, food, history, and Black excellence — starting with Castleberry Hill. It’s one of my favorite neighborhoods in Atlanta, not just because it’s visually stunning with its converted industrial lofts and cobblestone streets, but because it holds one of the highest concentrations of Black-owned real estate in the city. That matters to me — deeply. I’ve always been drawn to spaces where culture, ownership, and creativity intersect, and Castleberry has that energy in abundance. We’d check out some of my favorite residential lofts, grab dinner at a Black-owned restaurant, and catch a gallery walk or local pop-up event.

I’d also take them back through memory lane with me to the Atlanta University Center (AUC). During my college days, I spent weekends visiting friends at Clark Atlanta, Spelman, Morehouse, and Morris Brown — those campuses were electric. They’re still some of the most powerful spaces for Black academic legacy and cultural pride. Walking those campuses today still gives me the same feeling: pride, possibility, and community.

Throughout the week, we’d bounce around to some of my favorite local gems — Ponce City Market for food and rooftop views, Old Fourth Ward for a mix of history and new development, and West End for its vibrant creative scene. If we’re lucky, we’d catch a local farmers market or a community event that brings everyone together.

Atlanta is a city that’s constantly evolving, but what makes it special to me is the way history, innovation, and culture live side by side — especially in places like Castleberry Hill. I love showing people the layers of the city, especially the places that have shaped me and continue to inspire my work.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My shoutout goes to the women in my family who paved the way for me — especially my mother, Parthenia Gallon, and my aunt, Phyllis Gallon-Strong. Their impact on the built environment, public service, and planning communities wasn’t just professional — it was personal, legacy-driven, and deeply rooted in care for people and place.

My mother, Parthenia Gallon, was a trailblazer. She served as a Senior Land Use Planner for both DeKalb and Henry Counties in Georgia, but her journey began long before those titles. In a 1986 Sarasota Herald-Tribune feature, she shared how she returned to Manatee County, Florida — where she was born and raised — to contribute to the community that shaped her. She studied at the HBCU Florida Memorial College, earned a degree in Criminal Justice, and worked her way up through state and federal housing roles in New York City and Florida while raising three children on her own. She showed me what it means to balance purpose and pressure with grace. She was deeply committed to the connection between environment and opportunity and believed in pushing systems to serve people better.

My aunt, Phyllis Gallon-Strong, worked for over 30 years as a Zoning Manager for Manatee County. Her mastery of process, policy, and people shaped how I understand development today. She was the definition of integrity and persistence — two values I carry into every project I touch.

And today, that legacy continues through the next generation. My nephew, Jordan Duval, is a contract attorney in New York City and a residential developer in Florida. His commitment to justice, law, and land — and his ability to move fluidly between those worlds — reflects the same values our family has always held: build thoughtfully, lead boldly, and protect what matters.

Architechy Homes exists because of them. Their influence is the foundation of my work as a real estate developer focused on residential infill projects and affordable housing in Atlanta and Charlotte. They taught me that good planning is about more than buildings — it’s about community, justice, and dignity.

This shoutout is for them — for their decades of work behind the scenes and at the frontlines, and for showing me what it means to build with intention and purpose.

Website: www.architechie.net | www.architechyhomes.com

Instagram: @esinedfigaro | @architechie_

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/pdfigaro

Image Credits
Images below to me