Born in the idyllic farming community of Portage Utah in 1950, Robert rode his horse to school and conducted chemistry experiments in the families’ kitchen during the evenings. After serving a two-year mission for his church in Australia, he attended Brigham Young University and graduated three years later.
Then moving to Sacramento, he founded Harris Research, the parent company of Chem-Dry. Employing over 50,000 people in 50 countries, Chem-Dry became the largest in-home service company in the world. The corporation was also consistently ranked by Entrepreneur magazine as the top service company in the world and one of the top ten franchise opportunities for ten years in a row. He remained sole owner and CEO for 20 years. Retiring but not expiring at the age of 45, Chem-Dry was sold and is now owned by Home Depot.
Robert is an avid pilot with over 8,000 hours flying his corporate jets to destinations all over the world. He has owned and flown four fighter jets, helicopters, sea planes, and antique bi-planes. He formed Harris Air Inc. which buys and sells corporate jets. He founded and currently operates numerous businesses engaged in real estate, publishing, antique sales, car dealerships, exercise and medical devices, has been featured on CNN headline news. His latest ventures include: loaning money to PitBull, the rapper, to purchase a Gulfstream III Jet, purchasing and renovating 19 foreclosed homes in San Diego, which employs over 60 workers and allows buyers to purchase a virtually new home for an old home price. His passion, however, is inventing. He has most recently developed a totally new gym concept that will revolutionize the way people view and perform exercise. Kubex Fitness operates 4 locations in Utah and is beginning to franchise worldwide.
Robert has served on 3 High Councils, 3 Bishoprics, as a Stake Executive Secretary, and is now active in the church serving in Youth Sunday School. He is married to Terri Thorpe Harris, who is a graduate of Brigham Young University Law School, a licensed attorney, and a stay at home mom. They have nine children, pick an age! Despite all his success in business and inventing, he claims that his greatest accomplishments are never borrowing money, never working a weekend, rarely traveling without his family, and being home almost every night for family dinner. As a philanthropist and unpaid consultant, he has helped thousands of people start their own businesses and achieve their dreams.
Favorite Quote: “Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds.
-Albert Einstein