Michael Harris, 29

Growing up in Houston, Mike Harris would help his grandfather, George Surotchak, build patios for elderly neighbors.

Known as Captain George, Surotchak was a general contractor by profession. But when he retired, he built a patio on his own home that got the neighborhood’s attention.

Photo by Mark Wemple

Before long he was being hired to build others.

It was a passion project for Surotchak, For his grandson it was a lesson and the first step on his eventual career path.

Harris is a senior associate at Halstatt Real Estate Partners, a real estate investment firm based in Naples. He works with the firm’s principals on the purchase, operation and sale of assets and his duties include financial modeling, deal analysis and reporting on properties.

The passion he has for real estate can be traced back to those days working alongside his grandfather building the patios and porches. The experience, he says, taught him to “value the opportunity to make a positive, tangible difference in communities” by building something lasting and meaningful.

“I witnessed firsthand how our work transformed not only their homes but, more importantly, their lives,” Harris says.

Harris first moved to Florida to attend the University of Florida. He chose Gainesville because several family members had attended but was really won over by going to Gators games at The Swamp — Ben Hill Griffin Stadium — as kid.

At Florida, he was a pole vaulter on the track and field team during a time when it won three national and two Southeastern Conference championships. (His record jump in college was 5.15 meters — 16.89 feet.)

Real estate remained his passion. He earned a bachelor’s in business administration with a concentration in urban and regional planning and real estate, and then a master’s in real estate.

After college he accepted a job in Naples and joined Halstatt in 2020.

Today, Harris strives to “continuously grow, both personally and professionally, while contributing to something bigger than myself.” That includes being a founding member of Habitat NextGen, an organization that supports the work and advocacy efforts of Habitat for Humanity of Collier County.

While that work harkens back to the days building patios and porches with his grandfather, the need to give back was also fostered by his parents, Glenn and Cathy Harris, who he calls mentors.

“They taught me to be selfless, to put faith first, to always do the right thing — even when it’s challenging — to work hard and to never stop chasing my dreams,” Harris says of his parents.

“They are a constant reminder of what I aspire to achieve.”