Company Leadership
E.M. "Mike" Harris – Founder
E.M. "Mike" Harris founded E.M. Harris Construction Company in 1989 and grew it into one of St. Louis’ most successful private general contracting and construction management companies. With his leadership, the company has successfully completed over 175 construction projects throughout the Midwest and played a key role in the revitalization of St. Louis and the preservation of its historic buildings, including Crown Square (14th Street Mall), Soulard Market Lofts (Welsh Baby Carriage), Stamping Lofts (St. Louis Stamping Company) and others. Benefitting from his vast construction management experience and his knowledge of publicly-financed construction, Mike founded our sister company Capital Consultants Inc. in 1997, which has also grown into a thriving business, providing due diligence and construction monitoring services to developers, lenders, investors and housing agencies across 48 states.
Mary Harris – Chief Executive Officer
Mike and Mary Harris founded E.M. Harris Construction Company in 1989 with a $100,000 second mortgage on their home and grew it into one of St. Louis’ most successful private companies.
Prior to that, Mary began her business career at AT&T (formerly Southwestern Bell) and was quickly promoted, ultimately managing $850 million in revenue generated from intrastate calls. During this time, she completed a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from Lindenwood University at night and on weekends. She became a business owner in 1985 by launching TargetMarket Communications with her business partner Arthur C. Hoffman. The company produced the first printed apartment guide in St. Louis called Apartments Exclusive. After the company was sold in 1989, Mary devoted the next few years to raising her and Mike’s three children, while Mike focused on building E.M. Harris Construction Company. Like many new startups, E.M. Harris Construction Company struggled in its early days so in order to supplement their income, in 1994 Mary began a new career as an Account Executive at Obata Design, a package design company in Soulard. In this role she oversaw all package design for Anheuser Busch’s Eagle Snacks and Cape Cod product lines. Mary quickly increased the account from 6 to 21 brand managers and tripled package design revenues for Obata Design by adding Campbell-Taggart (now known as Sarah Lee) as a client. In 1997, Mary became Senior Account Executive in the Skuzzio branding studio of Zipatoni. In 1998, the entrepreneurial spirit called again, and Mary founded General Construction Specialties, a company that provided union laborers, as well as a line of builder’s grade kitchen cabinets to general contractors. After eleven successful years, General Construction Specialties was sold in 2009.
With Mike’s unexpected passing in 2021, Mary assumed the role of Chief Executive Officer and remains actively involved in assuring the company's future by providing the same guidance and oversight that she and Mike provided for years prior, while President Don Buchmueller expertly manages the day-to-day operations and a team of talented and dedicated individuals that make up E.M. Harris Construction Company.
Don Buchmueller – President
Don Buchmueller joined E.M. Harris Construction in 2010 and became President of the company in 2014. Don leads the Construction Department, overseeing all projects and managing current and future growth. Don has over 34 years of experience in the construction industry and has been involved with a wide range of projects, including multi-family housing, senior living, hotel/hospitality, commercial, health care, education and industrial projects of varying complexity. Don’s involvement on these projects ranged from pre-construction to project management to executive level oversight. Prior to joining E.M. Harris, Don served as a Project Executive and member of the Executive Committee at S.M. Wilson & Co. Don earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri-Rolla.
Philip Krull – Senior Vice President
Phil Krull joined E.M. Harris Construction in 1996 and serves as Senior Vice President - Construction and as a Project Manager. Phil coordinates with all involved entities to ensure projects are completed on time, within budget requirements and with high standards of quality. Phil is an excellent problem solver and has overseen some of the company’s largest and most complex projects, including Council Tower Senior Apartments, the Crown Square (14th Street Mall) revitalization project and Soulard Market Lofts. He is one of the most experienced historic preservation Project Managers in the St. Louis area. Prior to joining E.M. Harris, Phil served as a Project Architect for Jeffrey Brambila Architects. Phil has a Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture from the University of Kansas and is a Registered Architect in Missouri.
Vic Hoffmeister – Vice President/Director of Preconstruction
Vic Hoffmeister joined E.M. Harris Construction in 1995 and serves as Vice President and Director of Preconstruction. Vic handles a variety of responsibilities, including conceptual/detail estimating, value engineering, bid processing, purchasing, scheduling and resolution of onsite problems. Vic works with Project Managers during the preconstruction phase of all projects. With years of experience as an Estimator and Project Manager, he has worked on a wide variety of projects and brings a wealth of knowledge to all E.M. Harris projects. Vic received Associate Degrees in Business Administration and Construction Management and a Certificate of Proficiency in Mechanical Drawing.
Rebecca Kraus – Controller
Rebecca Kraus joined E.M. Harris Construction in 2017 and serves as our Controller. She manages project accounting and also oversees office operations, including IT, human resources and health insurance. Rebecca has overseen MBE/WBE and Section 3 compliance on twelve government-financed projects. Prior to joining E.M. Harris, Rebecca worked six years for Nooter Construction, serving as Project Accountant and most recently as Project Accounting Manager. Rebecca received her Bachelor's Degree in Accounting from Missouri State University.
Ryan Lane, LEED AP – Project Manager
Ryan Lane joined E.M. Harris Construction in 2017 as a Project Manager. He recently completed the Pine Lawn Manor development, consisting of 41 new homes, and the 24:1 Cafe/Grace Hill Office buildout. Ryan began his construction career in the field as a carpenter's apprentice framing houses. In 2008, he joined S. M. Wilson & Co. as a Project Engineer working on the Dr. Pepper-Snapple Group's St. Louis plant redevelopment. Ryan also managed several architectural/industrial sheet metal projects as a Project Manager for Lackey Sheet Metal. Prior to joining E.M. Harris, Ryan worked for nearly six years as an owner's representative with Cushman and Wakefield, managing construction for nearly 100 projects in 22 states for clients such as the Art of Shaving, Aaron Inc., ECCO, 7-Eleven, Carters, and Cricket Communications. Ryan received a Bachelor of Science Degree from Missouri State University and is LEED AP certified.
Thomas Hall – Project Manager
Tom Hall joined E.M. Harris Construction in 2022 as a Project Manager. Tom has over 30 years of construction estimating and project management experience, managing residential and commercial construction projects in 17 states for both private clients and well-known brands, such as CVS, Ross, Marshalls, Mobile, and Wendy's. Prior to joining E.M. Harris, Tom served as Vice President of CCS, Inc. and most recently as Lead Project Manager and Estimator for GH Group, Inc., where he managed renovation and new construction for commercial clients throughout the Midwest and Western United States, coordinating all aspects of construction between clients, landlords, architects, and subcontractors.
Max Jackson – Project Manager
Max Jackson joined E.M. Harris in 2017 as a Laborer on the TKE Fraternity House project in Rolla, MO. Shortly thereafter, he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Petroleum Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and joined our home office as a Project Engineer, later becoming a Project Manager. Max has worked both in the field and in the office with our Director of Preconstruction, reviewing plans and bids, providing takeoffs, reviewing and approving submittals, handling communications between subcontractors and architects and managing subcontractor contracts. Max recently managed three Kansas City area projects: Woodbridge Apartments, Silver City Apartments, and Villa del Sol Apartments.
Brett Kraus – Project Manager
Brett Kraus joined E.M. Harris Construction in 2025 as a Project Manager, bringing years of experience with design team collaboration, contract buyout, subcontractor scheduling, budget management, and quality control. Brett received Bachelor's Degrees in both Civil Engineering and Architectural Engineering from Missouri University of Science and Technology and has worked on projects for clients such as Amazon, Lowe’s, and Mercy. His construction management experience includes both new construction and renovation and spans a wide range of industries, including multi-tenant housing, manufacturing, education, healthcare, and warehousing/distribution.
Bryan McKechan – Project Engineer
Bryan McKechan joined E.M. Harris in 2023 as a Project Engineer. Prior to E.M. Harris, Bryan worked for 13 years at a St. Louis architectural firm on a variety of projects throughout the U.S. He brings a wealth of experience in design, building code, and construction administration for multi-family, senior living, healthcare, and commercial projects, including affordable housing and historic preservation. Bryan works in pre-construction and construction phases, both in the office and in the field, where his excellent attention to detail and communication skills are a great asset to our development and construction teams.