Forty Under 40: Sara Jorgensen, Harrell Remodeling

Senior Designer and Design Coordinator

Harrell Remodeling, Palo Alto, Calif.

2016 Revenue: $9.7 million

36 employees

Best Practice: As an award-winning designer for Harrell Remodeling, Jorgensen is smart, vivacious, and laser-focused on client satisfaction and continued success for her firm. Harrell Remodeling is an employee-owned remodeling company, so its staff are like family. In that nurturing environment, Jorgensen has cultivated and perfected her skills over the past decade, attributing much of her professional growth to the encouragement and mentoring of company founder Iris Harrell. Key to Jorgensen’s success is actively involving clients in the design process with exercises that are both practical and fun. She admits that most clients feel overwhelmed when embarking on a remodeling project. They may have a sense of what they want, but they don’t know how to get there. So Jorgensen’s role is to shepherd clients through the design process, taking pains to make it enjoyable because, she says, that way clients relax and feel positive about the remodeling experience. 

Read more about the 2017 Professional Remodeler 40 Under 40 awardees.