Mallory Fuller moved to Asheville in 1999 for a position as national sales manager of a new specialty paper line for Blue Ridge Paper Products, part of the former Champion Papers Canton Mill. When the role he was offered didn’t fully materialize, he pivoted and took a different path. Mallory and his wife, Anja, wanted to stay in Asheville to raise their daughters. At the time, Jim Preish of Preish Construction was building their home in Biltmore Park on Burnside Drive. In 2000, Mallory decided to join forces with Jim and use their unique strengths to grow Preish Construction. 

“It was a huge pivot,” Mallory says. “Jim taught me how to build a house and I taught him how to improve in sales and marketing. Jim is an industrial engineer with an MBA in accounting. He’s very technical. He taught me his end of the business and I taught him how to expand our market presence.”

Mallory immersed himself in learning every aspect of creating and building a home — including areas such as grading, foundation and framing through insulation, drywall, trim and cabinetry. He then went on in 2003 to get his general contractor license in both residential and commercial building. “I love seeing things come to life,” he says. “We’ve built a house from a simple sketch on a paper napkin. Watching the design go from 2D on paper to real-life 3D is one of the most satisfying aspects of what I do.”  

Specializing in custom residential construction, the team at Preish Construction strives to build between four and six homes per year. Jim sold Preish Construction to Mallory in 2014. The core team now includes Gary Pagliaroli as executive partner/general contractor and Mark Murphy as executive superintendent/general contractor.

Mallory and his team love helping clients create their custom dream homes with incredible attention to detail. His core philosophies include effortless communication, financial integrity and the highest level of quality construction while remaining committed to using the latest in renewable and sustainable building practices. Over the years, Mallory has earned such accreditations as LEED Accredited Professional and National Association of Home Builders Certified Green Professional.

Mallory and Anja have raised three daughters in Biltmore Park: Ellie, 27; Emily, 25; and Alex, 23. With a parenting philosophy shaped around a strong shared value of transparency, Mallory says they have a “truth forward” philosophy. While all kids push boundaries, they always told their daughters: “Although we may be unhappy at the moment with what you have done, we will be OK in the long run if you’re honest with us,” he says. Mallory jokes that their house used to be called the Fuller Frat House because they always wanted their daughters’ friends to come over. It was their way of staying connected and involved in their daughters’ lives. “We were also intentional about teaching our daughters not to be ‘yes’ people,” he says. “We wanted to raise confident, opinionated daughters who led with the truth.”

Founded more than 30 years ago, Preish Construction was one of the original featured builders for Biltmore Farms when they developed Biltmore Park. Jim and Mallory have built dozens of homes in Biltmore Park, Biltmore Lake and now The Ramble.

 

Mallory loves what he does because he's always learning. Preish Construction is “a living testament that you can achieve your dreams with hard work, fairness and integrity,” Mallory says. “We have stayed true to our small-company roots. We know who we are and what we can do.”

Mallory has served on the Architectural Committee for the Biltmore Park Association for more than 10 years, focusing on preserving and maintaining property values. This year he joined the Association’s Board as Director-at-Large, with hopes to increase police presence and visibility in Biltmore Park.