Iris Harrell, President of Harrell Remodeling, Inc., is a Certified Kitchen and Bath designer and a licensed General Contractor. She did not begin her working career in the building trades. Raised in North Carolina and Virginia, Harrell worked in the tobacco fields as a child. “I grew up in a house with two books — the Bible and the Sears Roebuck catalog,” says Iris.

After obtaining her B. A. in American Studies at Mary Washington College and while pursuing her master’s degree in education administration and supervision at Virginia Commonwealth University, she began her teaching career — first as a high school teacher in Richmond,Virginia, and then as 7th grade teacher on the Navajo Reservation in Arizona. Iris was the first member of her extended family to get a college degree. “When I got a second one, they thought it was one too many.”

Her life’s work was waiting around the corner and was introduced to her by her life partner, Ann Benson. “Ann presented me with an electric drill to hang pots and pans in our home in Dallas,” Iris beams. From there Iris went on to bigger and better projects. “It was very gratifying to be able to see what I had done with a drill, hammer, and screwdriver. Being an academic, I had never done work that produced immediate visual results.”

When their own home was finished, she began working on her neighbors’ homes, teaming up with Chape Harris, a retired salesman and carpenter, who taught her the basics. She proceeded to take every course that was offered in home design and construction. But when she ventured out to find employment in the field, she was consistently turned away because of her gender and her age (34 at the time). So she started her own company, producing small jobs for neighbors, relatives, and friends–people who wanted to have small projects done by someone they could trust in their home.

In 1985, Iris and Ann decided that they had had enough of the sweltering summers of Texas. They settled in Menlo Park, California, and Iris began job hunting. Though she was more than qualified, construction companies again told her that they wouldn’t hire her. “They were very concerned that subcontractors I would be in charge of in the field would not take me seriously because of my gender,” she explains.

Today she heads her own award-winning design + build residential remodeling company, Harrell Remodeling, Inc.

In the years she has been in business, her 500-plus clients attest to the consistent goal Iris has of becoming the finest residential remodeler on the Peninsula. Jeannette Fowler, a Portola Valley client, wrote, “Our new bathroom which you carefully shepherded through the design and construction phase is fabulous! We always had complete confidence that the workmanship would be properly performed to a high standard, the Harrell Remodeling Standard.”

Iris has created her company to take special care of her clients. Company policy prohibits smoking, alcohol, radios, and telling of racist, homophobic, and sexist jokes, on work sites and in the office. “We have outstanding employees who are dedicated to their jobs. We want them to view their employment as long-term.” To this end, she places an emphasis on continuing education for all employees; and Harrell Remodeling has paid holidays, vacations, full health benefits, and a profit-sharing plan.

Iris has taught design and remodeling courses at the community college level and throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. She is a regularly invited speaker at national conventions such as National Association of Homebuilders and National Association of the Remodeling Industry, where she encourages other remodeling contractors to hire women into non-traditional jobs. Iris’ awards include Woman Contractor of the Year in 1996 from Women Construction Owners & Executives, USA, Bay Area Woman Entrepreneur of the Year in 1996 from the San Francisco Chapter of NAWBO (National Association of Women Business Owners), and the Bay Area Outstanding Business Woman in 1992 from the American Business Women’s Association.

Since its inception, her company has won numerous design awards at the local, regional and national level, including NARI awards, Chrysalis awards, and Designer and Contractor of the Year awards. Harrell Remodeling also won the 2002 Mountain View Chamber of Commerce Celebration of Leaders Award, in honor of their dedication to the community.

Harrell Remodeling is the 12th largest woman-owned company in Silicon Valley for 2002. Harrell Remodeling projects have been featured in magazines such as American Homestyle, Better Homes & Gardens, Woman’s Day Remodeling, Sunset, Gentry, Remodeling, Qualified Remodeler, and Northern California Home & Design