Jason Harris graduated in 1986 with good memories of his high school experience, and with lifelong friendships he maintains to this day. He especially remembers “Jo” (short for Mr. Joannidi, a social studies teacher). Jason enjoyed playing sports as well, as with a variety of social clubs and activities.
After high school, he was accepted at Georgetown University, laying the foundation for his very successful career in business. His interest in business started as a high school kid washing windows in the summer for Mac Vail. From that experience, he saw how small businesses worked and were managed. He was always keyed in to local businessmen like Jack Dario, Nelson deBettencourt, and Dougie Abdelnour, and used them as role models for how to run a business on-Island.
After college, Jason worked at Cigna Insurance, but knew that insurance was not his lifetime career. He went to Babson College to pursue an MBA, learning about entrepreneurship, and gaining international experience studying in Argentina and Chile.
Jason secured a position at the Boston Globe in circulation marketing, but after five years, and now married with a young family, he sought other professional opportunities. He joined Greg Lombardi at his landscape architecture firm in 2001, and has worked there for more than 25 years. During that time he started Parterre Garden Services, to meet a need to maintain high-quality land care.
Today, Parterre is a leader in its industry, and has more than 100 employees from Cape Cod to Maine. Kudos to Jason for building a business that is not only a market leader but a company with a strong social conscience. Parterre’s ecological division is at the forefront of the battle against climate change, and works closely with towns and municipalities on green infrastructure throughout New England.
Marge Harris was a teacher at MVRHS for 27 years. You can contact her at margeharris@comcast.net. This column appears twice monthly.