BY WENDI REARDON PRICE
Clarkston News Staff Writer
You might not see Clarkston native Joshua Polley on television, but you’ve seen his work.
Fascinate, a company at which he is a co-owner, fabricated the giant Vince Lombardi Trophy for display at Super Bowl LIII at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga.It took two weeks from build to install.
“It was quick,” Polley said, adding everyone in the company worked on it in one way or another. “We are a fairly small and specialized shop of 22 folks in production and front end.”

Seeing the Vince Lombardi Trophy in front of the stadium and on television was a great experience for him.
“So many people really enjoyed it and it was a fantastic feeling knowing that we played a little part in creating that moment,” he said.
Polley added even though Fascinate is in the business of event marketing by way of fabrication, most clients find them by word of mouth, like when they were approached to make the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
“We do very little marketing for ourselves,” he admitted. “It’s all about doing a great project, keeping clients happy along the way and learning what they are working on next.”
Polley added even though some of their projects are confidential, they do have ones they are about to share are on their website.
One many locals may have seen on television was for American Idol. They made the stage for the 2018 Judges Auditions Tour.
“It was a big one,” said Polley. “I love building things and then my folks being able to see my work on TV.”
They also worked on the install for the NBA All-Star Game in Charlotte, North Carolina.
Polley grew up in Clarkston and it was his home for 22 years. He graduated from Clarkston High School in 1998.
He attended Oakland University and studied theater production.
“The stagecraft class and working in the shop alongside Meadow Brook Theatre employees was critical in my understanding of production,” Polley said. “That is one of the unique things about OU and it’s connection to a professional LORT (League of Resident Theatres) C theater.”
After graduating, he decided to travel south.
“I began working for a company building large scale stage sets and exhibits mainly for the automotive industry,” he said, adding he was there for seven years and went from Production Assistant to Operations Manager.
Then, about six years ago, Polley and a co-worker opened their own fabrication shop. It started off small in a 2,400-square-foot pole shed.
“We became known, in a very small circle, we were the guys who could build things quickly, without drawings and under intense time frames,” he said.
Then, they were building for Nike and moved into a bigger space with 10,000 square feet.
“In less than two years, the NBA called and we had to build a structure that would not fit in the footprint of our shop. Saws and welders just got in the way,” Polley said, adding today the shop is 40,000 square feet and they employ 25 skilled metal fabricators, carpenters, project managers, and draftsmen.

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