The project consisted of a 2,880 square foot design-build for a new restaurant space. Work included pouring a new stained concrete slab, interior framing and drywall, and installation of electrical, mechanical, and plumbing systems, along with kitchen equipment. Finishes featured custom bar tops, interior painting, and the installation of a roll-up service door to accommodate exterior patio seating.
Amanda Ruiz is the Accounts Payable Manager at Monolith Construction. She oversees the company’s accounts payable team to ensure timely invoice processing and payments. She has over 20 years of experience in accounting, bookkeeping, compliance, and management, and is a strong believer in teamwork and collaboration as the foundation for successful and prosperous outcomes.
When Amanda is not at work, she enjoys antique shopping, attending wine festivals, gardening, and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren, and her dogs.
One word that describes her work style: Collaborative
Pets: Two Pit Bulls and one Cane Corso
Favorite non-work activity: She enjoys spending time with her family — especially her grandchildren and three dogs — along with antiquing and attending wine festivals.
Jed Baso is a Field Intern with Monolith Construction. He is a rising junior at the University of Tennessee and studying Finance and minoring in Economics and Military Science. In his role, he assists the superintendents of job sites in whatever they need to complete the project from inspecting rooms to organizing keys to coordinating subcontractors. Outside of work, he enjoys photography and spending time with friends.
One word that describes his work style: Hard
The best thing about living in Knoxville: “The best thing about living in Knoxville is that it’s a small town but growing fast. It also has the Vols!”
Favorite movie: Wall-E
Jerry Gallinoto is a Project Manager with Monolith Construction. In his role, he works closely with field personnel, subcontractors, and project stakeholders to help keep projects organized, on schedule, and moving toward successful completion. He enjoys solving problems, supporting project teams, and contributing to quality construction throughout East Tennessee. When he’s not at work, Jerry enjoys cooking, spending time with family, and exploring his passion for great food and craftsmanship.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: Making goals more important than problems
Pets? Tell us about them: “When I’m not working, you’ll usually find me with my two dogs, a Dutch Shepherd and a Belgian Malinois. They are truly part of my family and fill my heart with joy every day. Their strong personalities, intelligence, and energy make life interesting, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. They are more than pets—they are my constant companions and a daily reminder of the value of loyalty and unconditional love.”
Bucket list item: “Visit my family in Potenza, Italy”
Sergio Fargueson is a Superintendent with Monolith. As a Superintendent, his job is to coordinate with all the subcontractors to make sure the project runs smoothly. He schedules daily operations and answers any questions that might arise while keeping an eye on every detail to make sure the project is completed on schedule, within budget, and to specified quality and safety standards.
When he is not at work, Sergio enjoys working on home projects and traveling to national parks with his family. He also enjoys watching documentaries about history and interesting places around the world. He is married to Marietta and has a son (Lucas, 18) and daughter (Sofia, 15).
One word that describes his work style: Reliable
Best thing about living in Knoxville: Living so close to the Smoky Mountains
Bucket list item: Visiting all the national parks in the USA
Tony Stacy is a Superintendent with Monolith. In his role, he coordinates materials and schedules with subcontractors, oversees progress on projects, and keeps each job moving efficiently. When he’s not at work, he is spending time with his family.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: “You can trust answers given, but you must always verify.”
Favorite band, artist, or concert: Hank Williams Jr.
Brad Henegar is a Project Manager with Monolith. In his role, he coordinates budgeting and contracts, and oversees the schedule and critical path items along with the Superintendent. He also communicates with management, clients and stakeholders. When he’s not at work, Brad can be found spending time with his family, including watching his grandkids play sports and cheer.
What inspires him in his work: “Delivering the package; the passion still burns no matter the hurdles. I love the journey to the finish line and all the team involved in getting there. Some of them are dragged, pushed, and even chased to the finish.”
Bucket list item: “I would love to take an Alaskan cruise with my wife one day.”
Favorite Sports Team: “University of Alabama. I played one year of baseball there, and also met the love of my life while I was there.”
Maddux Burkhardt is a Field Intern for Monolith Construction, LLC. He is a rising sophomore at the University of Tennessee and is studying Construction Science and Management. His everyday roles include site coordination, maintaining a clean job site, ensuring subcontractors are properly fulfilling their duties, and anything else the superintendents and general contractors may need. In his free time, he enjoys watching Michigan sports, playing golf and basketball, and fishing.
Best career advice he’s ever received: Always have a pen and paper
Bucket list item: Study abroad one semester in Europe
Favorite sports team: “My favorite sports team is the Michigan Wolverines. I mostly watch them in basketball and football.”
Zac Stacy is a Superintendent Assistant with Monolith. In his role, he assists the Superintendent with keeping each job moving efficiently. When he’s not at work, he’s spending time with family or pets.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: “Trust but verify.”
Favorite local restaurant and best item to order on the menu: Steak hoagie from Nixon’s Deli
Pets: Akita named Freya and some snakes
Zeb Hughes is a Laborer at Monolith. In his day, he helps with whatever needs to be done on the job sites. He helps clean and build day to day. When not at work, Zeb likes to tinker with random things.
Favorite type of project to work on: Smaller buildings
The best thing about living in Knoxville: The views
Pets: “I have a gecko named Rango.”
Connor Bedillion works as a Technology Intern at Monolith while pursuing a BS in Computer Engineering at the University of Tennessee. On the job, he assists Danielle with inventory/asset management, in-house and job site tech support, and job site footage. When he’s not working, you can find him writing music, performing live, or playing pool with his friends.
What he enjoys most about working at Monolith: Traveling around and visiting job sites
Bucket list item: Playing a sold out venue
Favorite band, artist, or concert: Alice in Chains
Kristy Holtzman is an Estimator at Monolith. In her role, she estimates the costs associated with constructing new buildings. When she’s not at work she can be found on her bicycle or snuggling her two cats.
One word that describes her work style: Puzzling
Pets: “I have two cats: a Maine Coon and a Chinchilla Persian.”
Favorite band, artist, or concert: “My absolute favorite concert was when I sat in the third row at a BB King performance.”
Gerardo Duque is a Laborer with Monolith. He has a variety of skills in multiple trades that he utilizes on the jobsite daily. When he is not at work, Gerardo likes to read, watch TV shows, and spend time with his family.
What inspires him in his work: “I love learning more every day and spending time with co-workers.”
The best thing about living in Knoxville: It’s a quiet city and is a peaceful place to live.
Favorite Sports Team: New York Yankees
Jackson Duncan is a superintendent with Monolith. In his role, he manages the jobsite, makes sure the jobsite is progressing efficiently, and manages material deliveries and the scheduling of subcontractors. Outside of work, Jackson spends most of his time with his fiancé, Ellie. Together they love watching movies, taking their dog to the park, and going on adventures riding his Harley-Davidson Forty-Eight Sportster.
What inspires him in his work: “I love seeing buildings go up and turning around to look at what I was a part of creating.”
Pets: “Our dog, Winnie, is a female pit-bull terrier. Ellie and I adopted her from the shelter back in August, 2025. She’s better entertainment than TV.”
Favorite Sports Team: “My favorite sports team is the Atlanta Braves. Hopefully we have better seasons ahead of us.”
Scott Thevenot has over 20 years of experience in multi-family unit finishing. His attention to detail and drive for perfection is something he takes great pride in. When not working, he enjoys being outdoors, kayaking, cooking, and campfires.
Favorite type of project to work on: Garden-style apartments
Favorite band: The Eagles
Pets: Two Australian Shephard agility show dogs
James Teffeteller began his career as a laborer assisting carpenters, where he learned about the carpentry trade through hands-on experience. Over the years, he has performed all types of construction work from concrete formwork to trim. Hanging doors and installing hardware became one of his specialties, and it was an area in which he truly excelled.
As his skills grew, James eventually moved into supervisory roles. He is very detail oriented in everything he does, and that same level of precision is reflected on the job sites he oversees for Monolith.
When James is not at work, he can be found at sporting events or spending time with family, especially his grandchildren.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: Trust but verify
Favorite non-work activity: Hiking
Favorite movie or TV show: The Outlaw Josey Wales
Jim Ruiz is a superintendent at Monolith Construction. He oversees the scheduling and coordination of multiple trades and procurement of materials to ensure an efficient and safe workflow. When he’s not working, Jim enjoys gunsmithing, extended long-range shooting competitions, PRS, NRL, and combat shooting competitions. He also loves spending time with his two pit bulls and his cane corso.
One word that describes his work style: Relentless
Favorite sports team: Dallas Cowboys
Favorite local restaurant and favorite item to order: Don Gallo – Cuban Sandwich
Tim Roberts is a superintendent with Monolith Construction. Throughout his career, he has been consistent in the way he manages his job sites. He believes that running a professional, clean, organized, safe, and high-quality site results in a successful project. Without a doubt, Tim can be found cheering on the Vols both at work and away from it. In his downtime, he enjoys spending time with family and friends, playing games, and sharing good food.
One word that describes his work style: Consistent
Favorite local restaurant and best item to order: Tim recommends Ye Olde Steakhouse, where he recommends the Ribeye or Filet. He also suggests the baked potato, which he describes as nothing short of “awesome.”
Favorite sports team: Tennessee Vols (Tim will be the Monolith employee ALWAYS sporting a bit of Tennessee Orange!)
Gerald Rayo is a superintendent at Monolith. In this role, he coordinates different stages of construction and assists the subcontractors with any questions they may have during the construction process. Gerald also strives to ensure that the final product exceeds the required standards. In his free time, he enjoys fishing and mountain biking.
Best career advice he’s ever received: Don’t worry too much about money and enjoy life.
Favorite sports team: Dodgers
Favorite movie or TV Show: Yellowstone
Joe Preston has been a superintendent with Monolith since the company was founded. In his role, he coordinates materials and schedules with subcontractors, oversees progress on projects, and keeps each job moving efficiently. When he’s not at work, Joe can be found working on his racecar, at the dirt track, or spending time with his daughter.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: Always verify
Favorite sport: Racing
Favorite non-work activity: Building hotrods
Meghan Pinkston works part-time as an accounting specialist at Monolith Construction while pursuing a BA in English at the University of Tennessee. At Monolith, she works to maintain compliance documents and assist in other accounting tasks. When she is not at work, you can find her in the library, scuba diving, or going to concerts.
What inspires her in her work: “I’m inspired by helping and collaborating with others to achieve our goals.”
Favorite sports team: Vols!
Favorite local coffee shop: Honeybee Coffee
Jake Pinkston is the co-founder/managing partner of Monolith Construction. He strives to ensure all facets of the company are always running at maximum efficiency. When outside of work, Jake likes to explore the outdoors with family and friends through hunting, hiking, scuba diving and making things with his hands.
What inspires him in his work: Accomplishment
Best thing about living in Knoxville: Knoxville offers a rare balance of economic opportunity, livability, and immediate access to the outdoors
Favorite non-working activity: Adventures with friends and family
Cody Persinger was hired at Monolith as an assistant project manager, and because of his aspirations and ability to deliver projects, he is proud to be transitioning into the project management role. Cody’s free time is spent golfing at Dead Horse or eating a Scotch egg at Jig & Reel.
What he enjoys most about working at Monolith: Advancement and growth opportunity
Bucket list item: Own a Z06 Corvette
Favorite movie or TV show: Survivor
Silvia Maldonado is an assistant project manager at Monolith Construction. She studied architecture in Colombia and is certified as a Revit and BIM estimator. She has over 3 years of experience in coordination and draft design. When at work, Silvia loves working in the office but also loves going to the jobsites where she can collaborate with people in the field. Outside of work, she loves going to the gym, watching movies, and spending time with her family.
What inspires her in her work: She loves to see jobs from start to finish and enjoys how all facets of a job come together as one.
Favorite sports team: Colombia!
Pets: Two Australian shepherds, Lucky and Chip. “They both have different personalities, and both are going to K9 classes.”
Marisa King is the accounts payable administrator where she processes invoices, maintains vendor records, and ensures payables are accurate. With more than 20 years in accounting, she enjoys digging into details and problem solving. When she is not working, she enjoys trips with family and friends, watching football, and vegging out to Bravo shows.
Best career advice she’s ever received: To grow yourself, you must know yourself.
Favorite non-work activity: Traveling
Favorite movie or TV show: Anything on Bravo
Morgan Jones is a superintendent for Monolith Construction. He supervises daily activity on the site to ensure quality, budget, and schedule are met. When not building epic projects, Morgan is raising babies, praising God, fishing, and being involved in youth sports.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: Timing is everything
Favorite non-work activity: Fishing
Favorite artist: Cody Jinks
After earning his degree from the University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA), Jeremy Jones spent nearly three decades in the Wireless Telecommunications industry as a Project Manager. At Monolith Construction, he began as an Estimator and expanded his role to include many duties typically performed by Assistant Project Managers and Project Managers. He currently serves as Contract Administrator, while overseeing the organization’s Safety and Compliance efforts. In his free time, he enjoys spoiling his dog, hiking, attending theatre productions, and relaxing at the beach.
What he enjoys most about working at Monolith: “Our team”
Favorite local restaurant: Adopo
Pet: Italian greyhound
Charity Jackson is the administrative assistant that will greet you upon arrival at Monolith. She has over 25 years of experience in management. Charity enjoys spending time with her daughter and pets. She also loves being creative in her downtime.
What she enjoys most about working at Monolith: The people
Favorite local restaurant and best item to order on the menu: Aubrey’s – Asian Salad or Tuna Steak
Bucket list item: Travel
Julie Hulbert is one of the assistant project managers for Monolith Construction. She communicates with the project manager, fellow office staff, and subcontractors daily to help the project run as smoothly as possible. Out of the office, Julie enjoys spending time with friends and family and taking long motorcycle rides with her husband throughout the beautiful Tennessee mountains. Julie’s favorite pastimes are music and watching her Pittsburgh Penguins and Steelers play.
A lesson learned from her time in the industry: It’s always changing and she’s always learning something new.
The best thing about living in Knoxville: The motorcycle rides, the views, and the twists and turns.
Pets? Easton is a 9 year old pitbull and a true house hippo. Sadie Mae is the miss priss of the house and is a tortoise shell cat, and Axle is a sweet baby boy tuxedo cat.
Corey Hughes is a civil superintendent with Monolith. In his role, he schedules with subcontractors, oversees progress on jobsites, and keeps each job moving forward. When he is not at work, Corey can be found spending time with his family, team roping, and riding his horses at the roping pen.
What he likes best about working at Monolith: “It’s like a big family.”
Pets? “Klassic is my rope horse, and he has helped make my dreams come true.”
Favorite non-work activity: Team Roping
Danielle Harrison is the Chief Technology and Inventory Officer (CTIO) at Monolith Construction, where she specializes in technology and asset management. With over 20 years of experience in education and leadership, she possesses skillsets in instructional technology, professional development, and streamlining processes. Outside of work, Danielle enjoys scuba diving, pottery, hiking, travel, and everyday adventures.
Best career advice you’ve ever received: Always explain the “why”
Favorite local restaurant and best item to order on the menu: Aubrey’s – Hawaiian Ribeye and house cut chips
Bucket list item: Scuba diving the Great Barrier Reef
Ron Duncan is the multi-family operations manager for Monolith. He manages and coordinates construction teams for projects from start to finish. He enjoys traveling with his wife, spending time with family, and motorcycle rides on the weekend.
A lesson learned from his time in the industry: There is no obstacle that cannot be overcome with proper effort.
Best thing about living in Knoxville: Beautify scenery with lakes and mountains
Favorite non-work activity: Motorcycle ride through the mountains
Melissa D Dockery is the Controller for Monolith Construction where she thrives on business growth, system implementations, and process improvement. She has over 20 years of experience in construction accounting and has traveled internationally doing Oracle implementations. When not at work, she enjoys sparring at Taekwondo, reading, and spending time with her family.
Best career advice she’s ever received: There is value in supporting your group in public and having disciplinary discussions in private.
This advice was given to Melissa by Coach Richard Philpot, the pool manager at John Sevier Pool. “He told me as long as I was on the pool deck he would support any decision I made, and that if he disagreed with me, we would have a private meeting to discuss the incident in his office.”
Favorite sports teams: Dodgers, Celtics, Bears
Favorite non-work activity: Taekwondo (as a 3rd degree Blackbelt)
Angielette Fisher serves as the office manager and has been with Monolith since day one. Her role is being the go-to person for anything and everything that comes her way. From solving problems to keeping things running smoothly or lending a hand where needed, she will do her best to help whoever pops up at her door.
Outside of work, she loves spending time with those who matter most. She is a beach girl and loves her babies, both “big and little.” Those moments keep Angie grounded and happy and help her stay ready to take on whatever the day brings.
What she enjoys most about working at Monolith: “I love the variety. Every day is a new day with new challenges and love staying connected to the people.”
Bucket list item: To move back to the beach
Favorite sports time: Dallas Cowboys
Thomas Bundy is a project manager responsible for multiple commercial and multi-family projects. His experience from his 23 years of Naval service has helped to complete several projects on time. When not at work, he enjoys woodworking and watching Alabama football with his family.
One word that describes his work style: Determined
Bucket list item: To RV around the US with his family
Favorite sports team: Alabama
David is a construction professional with nearly 30 years of experience in all aspects of the profession and currently serves as the commercial operations manager at Monolith. When not working, David enjoys playing golf, listening to music, watching movies, spending time with his daughter, or taking drives with the top down.
What inspires you in his work: Being involved in the process of turning an idea on paper into a physical structure.
Bucket list item: Travel to Italy
Favorite band, artist, or concert: Tool
