Joseph M. Harris

JOSEPH M. HARRIS is President and CEO of HLM Design, Inc., and
has been a leader in the concept of business center practice in
architecture. For over two decades Mr. Harris has stood at the
helm of three major architectural firms, successively steering
each on a steady course of profitability, sound practice and
design excellence. With his signature blend of creativity and
business-like pragmatism, he has been able to consistently
deliver results-oriented, design-winning projects that hold value
over time. During his tenure at Clark Tribble Harris & Li, he
achieved a 40% compounded growth, let the firm into international
expansion, pioneered the concept of the single-solution
consortium design firm and founded the first public American
architectural company in Britain, while garnering over 40 design
awards. Later, as President of Heery Architects and Engineers,
even while restructuring the financially troubled company and
reestablishing profitability, he never wavered in his pursuit of
design excellence, continuing to win recognition for high-profile
projects. Now, at HLM Design, he has effected a similar
turnaround. By revamping operations, imposing more efficient
controls, spearheading systematic regional expansion and
refocusing on a broader range of work, he has successfully
repositioned the threatened firm. Along the obstacle-strewn way,
he has continued to develop the firm’s national reputation for
high-quality design. Mr. Harris has had a career that includes
leading three companies to design renown and profitability, that
flourished through 28 years of business instability, that spans
two continents, embraces every building type and market sector,
and has prospered by offering design excellence in a sound
business framework.