 While living in Memphis, Tennessee, Parkinson joined the Shelby County Fire Department and rose to the ranks of Lieutenant before retiring.Antonio Parkinson owns Black Market Strategies, a public relations and marketing firm.Prior to becoming owner, he served on the board of directors of ABetterMemphis.com, which created a vehicle for citizens of Memphis and Shelby County to voice their likes, dislikes, opinions and solutions for issues and opportunities within the city and county.