Damian Farrell wanted to become his own boss so badly he did it twice. The owner of Damian Farrell Design Group started the company in 1992, sold it after a couple of heart attacks and went to work for someone else in 2002 before restarting again last summer.

"I had always wanted to be on my own," Farrell says. "I really wanted to focus on the type of architecture that interests me."

He restarted with two full-time employees and a part-timer last July. Today the downtown Ann Arbor-based company employs five people and two independent contractors. It just hired a former intern that graduated from college and expects to hire another person within the next six months.

Damian Farrell has done a lot of high-end residential design work, including Plymouth Green Crossings. He also helped design the new Evans Scholars house and Arlington Square development while working for another company.

One of the firm's main focuses is consulting with schools, local governments and corporations to make them more energy efficient. The company creates a financial and energy master plan so its client know how much to invest in what type of efficiency-creating technology.

"There are huge savings to be had," Farrell says. "This could help keep programs and even schools open."

Source: Damian Farrell, owner of Damian Farrell Design Group
Writer: Jon Zemke