Harper General Contractors President David Wise on Building Trust in the Carolinas

Grounded in a culture of trust and community and 73 years of experience, Harper General Contractors has grown into an almost 300-employee company, with offices spread across North and South Carolina. Harper is a full-service general contracting and construction management firm with a very distinct and enduring philosophy: “Do what you say you’re going to do, the way you say you’re going to do it.”

Since joining Harper in 1991, President David Wise has served as an advocate and hands-on leader for the Harper team, leading the company to achieve numerous accolades and praises over the years and boasting a portfolio of satisfied clients and partners.

GroundBreak Carolinas recently caught up with Wise on what Harper is currently working on, the values that drive himself and the company, and what is on the horizon for Harper General Contractors.

Tell us about your role at Harper and what endeavors you are most involved in as President.

I am grateful to be celebrating a successful 33-year career at Harper General Contractors, currently serving as Harper’s President. My work as President is focused on building up our clients and teammates with an investment of time, detail, passion for leadership development, and integrity. Harper’s mission statement speaks to the endeavors that are most important to me. Building up our community, our clients, and each other captures “the why” for me. It begins first with my teammates. As President, I feel a profound sense of responsibility to provide for the health and overall wellbeing of near 300 Harper teammates. My objective is to always have a culture where Harper people and their ideas can flourish. We want them to enjoy a sense of dignity and satisfaction as they perform their work, and we want them also to flourish and thrive at home with their families and in our community.

From there it moves to building up our clients and our community. I remind my teammates that we are engaged in much more than pouring concrete, laying pipe, or setting steel. We are building facilities which enhance the quality of life in our community by providing clean drinking water, creating wonderful learning environments for our children, and beautiful outdoor spaces like Unity Park in Greenville, SC, for our community to enjoy.

Giving back to our community is also an important driver for the Harper team. We build up our community by giving our time, our talents, and our monies to support a number of organizations and activities, such as serving Meals on Wheels on a weekly basis and participating in their annual cycling event, as well as giving to March of Dimes, the American Heart Association, Habitat for Humanity, and others.

What markets does Harper currently serve?

Our primary market sectors are Mixed-Use & Office, K-12 & Higher Education, Industrial, and Community. We also continue to pursue Healthcare and Retail work. Our passion for helping municipalities attract new industries and businesses by improving infrastructure has led to the growth of our Harper Environmental Systems Division (ESD). Our ESD team works with municipalities to provide a safe environment and local leaders throughout the Carolinas trust Harper ESD with their water and wastewater needs.

Harper has been headquartered in Upstate South Carolina since its founding and has offices in Asheville, Charlotte, Greenville, Spartanburg, and Conway. Are there any plans to expand into new regions?

We are proud to have contributed to the growth in the Upstate region and continue to lead our operations out of Greenville. We have recently been awarded and completed projects in Raleigh, Charleston, and Columbia and are now actively working out of those regions. Our philosophy on growth is that we do not aim to grow just to be bigger, but we grow because our quality of work demands it.

Additionally, to support our Environmental Systems Division’s outstanding growth, Harper expanded our operations on the coast in 2022. This new endeavor in Charleston complements our established Conway office. Together these two operations are well-positioned to serve and build up coastal communities in the region. We look forward to bringing our 73 years of experience and trust across the Carolinas.

What are some of your most important values and how have those values played a role in the work Harper does?

While the world is filled with uncertainties and disruptions that change rapidly, my faith and my values remain constant and true to guide me through challenging circumstances. Being a person of integrity, honesty and responsibility was modeled by my father, and I want to be known as a person who can be trusted to do what he says he will do.

Treating others the way I want to be treated is a simple principle or value that guides me in my interactions with all people – internal and external. I believe we can accomplish so much more working together.

As builders, we have a sense of responsibility to build sustainably and intentionally and carry on the strong legacy of Harper. Our team focuses a large amount of our efforts on projects we believe will best serve the community and environment. Harper continues to lead our region in the sustainability movement by focusing on education and collaboration at all levels of the building process. Our projects have been awarded LEED and Green Globe Certifications and our team members have earned similar credentials, including LEED and Envision Certified Professionals (ENV SP). Our projects include schools, water/wastewater treatment facilities, community centers, healthcare centers, and government buildings. Focusing our efforts on facilities that build up our region gives our work purpose.

What distinguishes Harper in the world of general contracting?

We’ve been in business for 73 years because we do what we say we’re going to do, in the way we say we’re going to do it. Further, we make a conscious effort to put ourselves in the shoes of our clients on every project we undertake. We maintain a high percentage of repeat business because we focus our efforts on maintaining an honest, respectful relationship with each client we work with.

Main photo (at top of page) – Photo credit: Brian Erkens, Reel Video & Stills, Inc.

More about David Wise

Harper President David Wise has more than 30 years of construction industry, most of which has been with Harper. Beginning his career at Harper in 1990, Wise served as a project manager and project executive before becoming company President in 2012. He has led the Greenville team to receive many awards, as well as being recognized by Engineering News-Record as one of the Top 400 construction firms in the United States for the past several years. In early 2023, Wise was named one of Greenville’s 50 Most Influential for 2022 by Greenville Business Magazine and inducted into the Most Influential Hall of Fame.

To get in touch with Harper, visit Contact | Harper (harpergc.com).

About Harper General Contractors

Throughout our 73-year history, Harper has had the opportunity to develop strong professional relationships with clients across the Carolinas. By bringing to life the vision of our clients, Harper leaves a lasting impression on members of the community. The core of our company is geared toward collaborating with owners and design professionals in an open and transparent manner, enabling the owner to know how every project dollar is being invested. An award-winning company, Harper consistently receives recognition in the areas of quality, safety, environmental stewardship, and community involvement. For more information, visit harpergc.com or contact us.