Integrity. Quality. Legacy
A legacy of integrity and quality handed from a father to his sons.
Compass Studio is a family-owned residential design-build firm specializing in home renovations, additions, and new homes. Our architects, interior designers, and construction teams work together to create distinctive, thoughtfully designed spaces that reflect how our clients live. From early planning through construction, we focus on creative design, clear communication, thoughtful budgeting, and quality craftsmanship.
Two Brothers, One Dream
A right-brained architect committed to creative excellence balanced by a left-brained engineer with a mind for process and organization. Two brothers, one dream – to create an exceptional design-build experience for their clients by focusing on three areas:
Relationship, Creativity, and Quality
Our approach begins with understanding our clients, their homes, and what they hope to accomplish. Through a strong partnership built on trust and communication, our architects and designers develop creative, thoughtful solutions that balance aesthetics, functionality, and the needs of each project.
Great design also requires understanding both the possibilities and the realities of a project. We believe homeowners should understand their options and the associated costs early in the process. Through our Discovery Session, we explore potential design solutions and realistic construction cost ranges, helping clients make informed decisions before moving forward.
Our construction team then brings those designs to life with careful planning, skilled craftsmanship, and attention to detail.
These principles are rooted in the values of passion, integrity, and quality that our father established when he founded the company. They continue to guide how we design, build, and work with every client.
OUR STORY
At first, it was a humble setup, with only his wife, Gail, and third son, Jacob, as employees. Together they implemented John’s dream, and the business began to flourish. People fell in love with John’s easy personality and eye for detail and quality. He slowly added employees, often joking that he was going to get all his boys to work there so that they could build something truly unique. Only the jokes weren’t fiction; in the back of John’s mind was a dream to work alongside his family to build a legacy.
His other sons were spread throughout the country, creating their own lives: Joseph, an architect in Seattle; James, an industrial designer, and Jonathan, a chemical engineer in Michigan. It seemed unlikely that this disparate group of sons with such eclectic backgrounds and training would ever work for a local construction company. But that didn’t stop John from dreaming.
JP Compass hit its first real growth challenges in 2010, and it opened an opportunity for Joseph, the architect, to move from Seattle and help bring more organization to the company. Joseph instituted processes and structures he had learned from his work in designing and building hospitals for Mahlum Architects. Two sons were now working with John, adding value in their unique ways, building homes, and the dream of a business built on family, integrity, and quality.
John Park woke up early on August 11, 2006, with an overwhelming feeling permeating his entire being. He knew it was time to venture out on his own. For years, he had recognized that there was something missing in the general contracting industry when it came to catering to the clients’ experience. Armed with decades of construction experience, a fondness for the homes in the Cleveland area, and a love for people, he started JP Compass in an effort to fuse quality and transparency into the world of general contracting.
In 2016 the market was taking off. John was finding it challenging to get renovation work designed on time by other companies so that JP Compass could build it. Architects were busy and taking on other larger projects. During this time, Joseph and John saw an opportunity to streamline the process and remove the confusion and miscommunication often experienced in the residential building industry. They decided to bring architecture, interior design, and construction together into a more coordinated process, giving clients a creative design experience supported by the expertise needed to build it..
JP Compass evolved from a general contracting company into a residential design-build firm, opening the door for a third son to find his way to the company.. James, the industrial designer, joined and helped Joseph get the design portion off the ground. They started small: a bathroom here and a kitchen there; JP Compass built up its design portfolio. By the 2nd year of the design/build venture, over 80% of what JP Compass built was designed in-house. Three of John’s sons now worked at JP Compass, and they exponentially expanded the business's potential.
For John, the most exciting part was seeing his dream of a family legacy at JP Compass being realized. Now, there was only one son left to join the team. In 2017, the design/build concept was hitting its stride, causing the business to become harder to manage. This made it possible for Jonathan, the last holdout, to join the team.
With over 15 years in the chemical and startup industries, Jonathan brought a unique blend of operation and data analysis background to the company. He helped create the structure and tools needed to thoroughly blend the design/build firm, thereby making something the market loved.
The efforts of all the family members combined helped create something truly unique: A fully integrated, highly creative, efficiently operated, client-centered residential design/build firm. All conceived and built in-house by a family that brought all of its talents to bear on this venture.
In 2021, John passed leadership and ownership to his sons, Jonathan and Joseph. Under their leadership, the company evolved into a design-first residential design-build firm, combining the creative depth of a dedicated architecture and interior design practice with the expertise of an accomplished construction company. Design shapes every project, and our construction capabilities allow us to carry that vision through with the same care and attention to detail. To reflect this evolution, JP Compass became Compass Studio.
In 2022, Compass Studio expanded into the South Carolina Lowcountry, bringing its design-first approach and commitment to quality craftsmanship to Hilton Head Island and the surrounding communities. With a strong connection between Ohio and South Carolina, the expansion was a natural extension of the company's work. The distinctive architecture and character of Lowcountry homes provide an exciting opportunity to combine thoughtful design with traditional craftsmanship and contemporary living.
Compass Studio is immensely proud of the values that John instilled in the company. All of which are still alive and well today. John built a legacy that his sons have the privilege of carrying onward. One of quality, family, and delivering the best experience and product possible to the clients we love.
Because with every project, our family gets just a little bigger.
