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.
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.
Michael Harris – Vice President-Business Development
Michael Harris grew up in the construction industry beside his father who built E.M. Harris Construction. Michael has over a decade of project management experience in multi-family housing, industrial and commercial construction, and consumer electronics. He is known for his ability to skillfully coordinate construction projects, utilizing transparency and open communication to ensure each job is performed in the most feasible way and with the highest degree of quality. Michael has a Master's Degree in Construction Management from Washington University in St. Louis.
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.