Meet the Minds of Design Elite
Founding Architect
Garry Price
Garry Price, Founding Architect of Design Elite, developed a love for architecture early in life. He grew up in New Jersey and was exposed to buildings that date back as early as the 1600s. These buildings captivated Garry’s imagination from a young age and ultimately led to his desire to study architecture and design.
Garry earned his B.S. in Architecture from Clemson University and is a Registered Architect with The American Institute of Architects. He worked and studied under the guidance of several prominent architects in both New Jersey and South Carolina. Upon finishing his degree at Clemson University, he began his career as a Project Architect for Fluor Corporation, specializing in industrial architecting and research projects. While he loved working at Fluor, Garry’s special passion for residential architecture was confirmed. This is when he pursued starting his own firm. In February of 1991, Garry founded Design Elite.
Garry has a portfolio of over 300 designs and 30 years of experience. He is particularly fascinated with historical architecture, but is capable of an array of designs.
In his free time, Garry collects Asian art and antiques. He also loves traveling, gardening, and is an avid walker. Occasionally, Garry enjoys visiting Charleston, S.C. to explore the historic architecture. He is a fan of the Clemson Tigers.
Daily, Garry seeks to leave a positive impact on the local, architectural space, especially for residential homes. He strives to positively impact everyone in his sphere of influence as he shares his passion for architecture and design with all he encounters. He is married to his wife, Teri.
Director of Operations
Kelly LeHew
Kelly has been with Design Elite for over 20 years and manages an array of operational duties including office management, business development, and client relations. She loves working in an environment that has always felt like family.
Earlier in her career, Kelly worked in large, corporate offices with stale cultures. She relishes the smaller, familial environment where all ideas are both respected and welcomed at Design Elite.
Kelly has played a vital role in the overall growth and success of Design Elite. She wears many hats on a daily basis and enjoys the variety of projects the team completes. She played a critical role in designing and developing the firm’s Pinnacle Book of pre-designed plans. In addition to her typical responsibilities, Kelly is tasked with assisting builders with design layouts. She also creates and implements advertising plans for the firm.
Outside of work, Kelly enjoys anything that keeps her active, particularly hiking. She loves being with family and friends, traveling when time allows, and exploring wineries with friends.
Kelly has been married to her husband, Chad, for almost 30 years. Together, they have two grown daughters, Courtney and Sydney. They also have two fur babies, Dutch (a Beagle/Pointer mix) and Luna (a Blue Point Siamese Bengal mix).
Architectural Designer
Frankie Riley
As a child, Frankie remembers watching his parents renovate an old home in Columbia, S.C. and sparking an interest he has never lost. Frankie would practice drawing and sketching his own designs while taking in the details of the renovation unfolding before him.
After more than four decades, this is still Frankie’s passion. He loves working alongside a close-knit team who all enjoy a similar passion for designing unique homes. Frankie has been with Design Elite for more than 20 years and serves as a Senior Architectural Designer and the Director of Project Administration.
Frankie earned an Associate’s Degree in Architectural Engineering Technology and is a member of the AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers).
Frankie has had a design featured in Carolina Architecture and Design. This 14,000-square foot home in The Cliffs at Glassy is certainly one of his favorite and most memorable projects of all time. Frankie had never taken on such an enormous project, but this achievement was pivotal in his career and gave him the confidence to grow as a designer.
Outside of work, Frankie enjoys reading, growing in his faith, preparing true southern BBQ, listening to a variety of music genres,and learning to play some of his favorite music on the guitar.
Frankie has been married to his wife, Sonia, for over 40 years. They have two grown children, Chelsea and Drayton, and a daughter-in-law, Leigh.
Architectural Designer
Brandon Smith
Brandon’s lifelong passion for residential design began at a young age when he would fill his elementary school notebooks with sketches of floor plans. He would study and collect home plan books from the time he could read. He may have been the only 10-year-old with a subscription to Metropolitan Home.
Brandon studied architecture at Virginia Tech and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Interior Design from West Virginia University. After graduation, he began his career with one of the nation’s leading providers of pre-designed home plans and would move into custom residential work once this company created a high-end design-build division. After six years at this organization, Brandon left to join Design Elite where he continues to design thoughtful, elegant, and livable homes for clients from all over the world.
Brandon’s designs have won many awards and have proven to be crowd favorites at various Parade of Homes events. Some of his work has been featured in several national and regional publications.
He is a member of both the AIBD (American Institute of Building Designers) and the ASID (American Society of Interior Designers).
Brandon has been with Design Elite for almost 20 years. He loves any project he is working on and promises to put his heart into every design. Brandon most enjoys working on primary residences–where a family lives full time, where kids will make memories, and where the family feels at home.
He has always enjoyed watching a design morph from a rough sketch into a beautiful, functional home, while building relationships with his clients along the way.
Outside of work, Brandon enjoys traveling, shopping, cooking, exploring the South, and buying cars. His dream is to be featured in Garden and Gun, a magazine that focuses on the South. Brandon and his family live in Travelers Rest, SC.
Architectural Designer
Paulo Montenegro
Paulo, a native from Colombia, South America, is truly an enthusiast for architecture. He thrives on creating a new reality for his clients in the place they will call home.
Architecture has always fascinated Paulo, particularly modern and contemporary architecture. When Paulo designs, he imagines living in every space and wants every inch to be fully expressed according to the client’s specifications.
Paulo studied architecture for five years in Colombia and is pursuing an American Architecture License. Paulo has been with Design Elite for more than three years and has brought a new level of diversity to the firm. Paulo is also passionate about using state-of-the-art technology and tools to provide clients with solid presentations truly representing design capabilities.
Paulo believes one of his greatest achievements has been coming to live in a different country, learning a different language, and adapting to a totally different lifestyle.
Outside of work, Paulo enjoys weight training, CrossFit, and triathlons, as well as cooking with his teenage daughter As time allows, he finds time to visit new cities and museums.
Interested in working with our team?
Everett King Consulting
