Troy University alumna Josie Russell Young helped locals in Wetumpka, Alabama bring their community to life in HGTV’s new series “Home Town Takeover.”

Young, who graduated from TROY in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in human services, had originally pursued nursing, but quickly realized it wasn’t the path she wanted to follow.

She found her passion through Russell Construction of Alabama, the company that her dad started nearly 40 years ago.

“I’ve been working at Russell Construction kind of my whole life,” Young said. “In the summers, I would work in the office and help the girls, but never really considered it a real possibility.”

Now, however, as the company’s marketing director, Young focuses on marketing and project management. 

It was via social media that HGTV’s Ben and Erin Napier found the construction company, landing Young a spot on the show as the general contractor.

“They called and I had a series of interviews,” Young said. “It all happened quickly.”

Russell Construction worked alongside the Napiers to renovate the city of Wetumpka.

The renovations included Jerry’s Barber Shop, the boutique Tapp 18, the Wetumpka Farmer’s Market and residences throughout the community.

“We designed and built all of the renovations in Wetumpka cohesively with Ben and Erin,” Young said. “We physically performed all of the work and did all of the planning and design on the front end. I was on site every day leading that charge for the show.”

Young contributes parts of her success to the college programs in which she was involved, including TROY’s UAC and Alpha Gamma Delta sorority.

“It was really those experiences at TROY that were in those extracurricular activities and organizations that I was a part of that allowed me to be confident in front of the camera and take everything to the next level being a young woman in the construction industry,” she said. “That’s one of the things that I’ll be forever grateful that I did when I was in my time at TROY.”

The series premiered on HGTV on Sunday, May 2, and can be streamed through discovery+.