cbuzz: Tom Harris, CGI: Building a Positive & Constructive Work Culture and Leading an IT Consulting Firm in the Central Ohio Region

March 1st, 2024

tom harris headshor
  • CEO of HMB (former)
  • SVP at CGI (current)

Professional

  • Harris has been in IT Consulting and Technology  for more than 35 years and currently serves as Senior Vice President for CGI. Prior to January of 2021, Tom was the chief executive officer and owner of HMB for more than 27 years. Over those years, he has served on a variety of leadship roles, while growing the company to over 65M in revenue at its peak. .
  • As a founding member of HMB, he has taken great pride in leading the company from an idea back in 1994 to one of central Ohio’s most successful and respected IT consulting firms. He is the recipient of the 2013 CEO of the Year award from Columbus CEO Magazine & 10TV and was recognized as the 2015 Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. 
  • Harris is a firm believer in the phrase “you win with people” and notes that among his greater accomplishments is the positive culture that has been created by the teams at HMB. This constructive environment has been recognized as a Best Place to Work by Columbus Business First and a Top Workplace by Columbus CEO Magazine through numerous awards since 2012, year after year.

Personal

  • Harris earned a bachelor’s degree in computer information sciences from the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University where he also was co-captain of the baseball team.  Tom has been married to Jodi Harris for over 35 years and they have two children, Jacob Harris (30) (and wife Lindsay (28) and their son Luke Thomas (1 month)) and Brady Harris (28).   Tom enjoys being outdoors, including golf, cycling, hiking/walking, and enjoying warm weather any time he can get it.  One fun fact, Tom and his wife are avid shark tooth hunters and routinely drive to beaches (or dig sites) known for finding shark’s teeth.

Fun Facts:

  • Played shortstop for OSU’s baseball team and was a Captain
  • Decompresses with outdoor activities like golfing, cycling, walking, pickleball, and hiking.
  • Avid snow skier
  • Plays the guitar in his spare time
  • Named professional golfer as his dream job
  • Lived in Columbus since he was 4 years old and never left

Board Positions

  • The Columbus Chamber of Commerce: 2018-Present
    Workforce Committee: 2019 – present
  • Legatus – Columbus Chapter: 2019 – Present
  • YCP – Columbus: 2023 – present
  • MoMM Foundation: 2013-Present Board Member

Past:

  • The Columbus Chamber of Commerce – Small Business Council: 2015-2018
    Government Affairs Steering Committee (2016-2018)
  • SMART Columbus: 2018 – Working Group Chair
  • The Ohio State University Sports Medicine: 2015 – 2017 (Committee Member)

To learn more about CGI, visit https://www.cgi.com/en.

Tune in today as Tom, Senior Vice President of CGI, sits down with cbuzz host Mikaela Hunt to discuss: Building a Positive & Constructive Work Culture and Leading an IT Consulting Firm in the Central Ohio Region.

A note about cbuzz production: We are thrilled to be back recording episodes for our Central Ohio community. Stay tuned for new episodes, which will share the stories of some of our best and brightest Columbus Chamber members. Thank you to our listeners for their patience and understanding as we worked to establish a virtual recording setup. You can learn about Capital University here and learn more about cbuzz host Mikaela Hunt here.

Cbuzz is the Columbus Chamber of Commerce’s business-focused podcast and was named Best Business Podcast in 2019 by the Columbus Podcast Awards. The show is produced in partnership with Capital University and its students, and the show is hosted by Mikaela Hunt, brand journalist and storyteller.

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