Sedona Magazine features Sedona Home Builder, Mark Morris, in the 2009-2010 winter edition

Article by Nikki Buchanan

Ask Mark Morris about his childhood and this hard-hitting
builder gets a little misty.

You see, Morris – whose family roots go back to Sedona’s early settlers – grew up here among the red rocks, roaming Sedona when it was a smaller, quieter place.

“When I was a kid,” he says, “there were no street lights, no stop lights and definitely no vortexes. Sedona was my playground. I’d go down to Oak Creek in the morning to catch a few trout, shoot at tin cans on the family’s ranch [not the site of Los Abrigados Resort & Spa] and spend the afternoon riding around town on my bike. As long as I was home by five for dinner, my mother didn’t worry about me.”

Is it any wonder then, that as president of The Phil W. Morris Company, Morris insists on creating custom homes and commercial properties that blend in with the area’s natural beauty? His philosophy is identical to that of his father, Phil, who founded the company in 1967 and headed up illustrious commercial projects such as Enchantment Luxury Resort & Spa, Hillside Courtyard & Market and Los Agrigados – all places that effortlessly pull the outdoors in while capturing the relaxed elegance of the Southwest.

Of course, 29 years ago, Mark Morris had no intention of following in his old man’s footsteps. After high school he left Sedona to attend Brooks Institute (a small, prestigious arts college in Santa Barbara), dashing his father’s dream that he would earn a construction engineering degree from Arizona State University. After graduation, his eclectic career path included six years as a commercial photographer in Seattle, Washington, followed by nearly 16 years in analytical software sales.

In 2002 when he returned to Sedona to work with his father (“I’m my dad’s exit strategy.” He chuckles), Mark brought his prodigious computer knowledge to the family business. Nowadays, the company combines Old World craftsmanship with state-of-the-art technology, a distinct advantage when 85 to 90 percent of the company’s clients in the custom-home division live out of town. Sophisticated software keeps them in the loop every step of the way as their houses (many of them second or third homes) are being built. “Our clients often become close friend,” Morris adds, “given that we’re attached at the hip for 12 months to two and a half years.”

But what really sets Mark Morris apart from the other successful builders is his enduring commitment to the community. After worki9ng with the Boys & Girls Clubs for three and a half years (serving as board president for two of them), he also became involved in an ambitious new project called Camp Soaring Eagle – a mini camp for medically challenged and often terminally ill children. When camp founder Max James took Morris to the site and described his vision – to host children from Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, and Nevada every week throughout the summer – Morris knew he wanted to be a part of it.

His dedication as a board member and leader in the project’s construction have earned him the Pacesetter Award from Custom Home Magazine this year, and although recognition for his philanthropic efforts makes him proud, he’s really more eager to talk about his commitment to the Sedona community than about himself. Beyond the Boys & Girls Clubs and Camp Soaring Eagle, Morris is devoted to the growth and development of a number of kid-centric causes, including the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and the Sedona Charter School. What he doesn’t say it that, construction projects aside, Morris is also rebuilding pieces of his idyllic boyhood for the benefit of generations to come.