About | HELT Design | Full-service, Architecture and Interior Design firm

ABOUT

HELT clients seek a design partner to help them express their voices, realize their visions, embrace their unique ideas, and explore innovative solutions. They see HELT as the key to unearthing successful designs for re-purposing, reusing, and integrating modern solutions that create highly impactful and functional yet minimal designs while reinforcing their stated vision or brand.

OUR FIRM

HELT Design is a full-service, architecture and interior design firm with core capabilities throughout commercial, industrial, retail, restaurant, adaptive reuse, multi-family, and modern minimalist residential design.

Founded in 1969, the firm has a long track record of sustained success serving clients nationwide with LEED accredited professionals and licensure in 46 states.

Functional and modern architecture is our collective passion and is grounded in expert design, creative solutions, and versatile expertise. We represent clients across a wide variety of industries, projects, and scale.

We proudly showcase our diverse ability and talent to offer exceptional architecture as well as interior design, programming, master planning, space planning, feasibility studies and code compliance.

OUR TEAM

Our team is the greater sum of many individual personalities, talents, and perspectives. We collectively thrive on the challenges of big ideas and specific details alike. At HELT Design, transforming your vision into a tangible, usable space is paramount.

TIM JOHNSTON

Tim Johnston

Principal, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP

LEARN MORE

Tim Johnston lives and breathes design. If he is not actively designing at his desk or on weekends, he imagines new ideas for development or design. Architecture has been his passion for 25 years, during which time he worked at multiple firms around the country before realizing his long-held dream of firm ownership when he joined HELT Design as President and Principal in 2012. Tim has a broad range of modern architectural experiences, from custom residential projects to large-scale commercial high rises and broad-sweeping sustainable master planning. He has served various market sectors and prides himself on modern design, personalized client service, and inspiring solutions. Tim studied at the University of Kentucky and is LEED-certified. He participates in and has led the Architects Collaborative of Charlotte and is very community-involved with growing his hometown of Belmont.

SHARON JOHNSTON

Sharon Johnston

Chief Operating Officer

LEARN MORE

Sharon Johnston is responsible for the operational leadership of HELT Design, overseeing financial management, human resources, compliance, and process improvement initiatives. Originally from South Africa, she brings a unique perspective to problem-solving and organizational strategy.

With more than twenty years of experience in business operations, continuous improvement, and organizational change, Sharon applies proven change management principles developed in corporate environments to help drive HELT’s growth and evolution. Her analytical approach has been instrumental in developing the systems, processes, and operational framework that have supported the firm’s expansion, increased organizational capacity, and strengthened the foundation for continued success.

Sharon holds a degree in Communication Science and has owned and operated several successful businesses throughout her career, bringing both entrepreneurial insight and operational expertise to HELT Design.

Diana Myers

Associate Principal

LEARN MORE

Since joining the firm in August 1999, Diana Myers has helped foster several longstanding relationships with repeat clients. “The strength of the firm has a proportional relationship with the quality of service each individual client and specific project needs.” As an Associate Principal, she is involved with all aspects of the firm, helping to ensure that things run smoothly. Primary job functions include code compliance, schedule maintenance, organizing projects and staff, and maintaining strong client relationships. “Thinking “outside the box” is key in the architecture field, especially when your challenge is to space plan for the best use of square footage and to make the building work for the client, all while adhering to all code requirements. Each Project has its constraints in planning; even prototypical projects have an individual life force.” Outside of the office, Diana Myers enjoys the arts of all kinds. From home renovation projects to painting and pottery, she dives head-first into it all. In her “me time,” you will find her applying her own creative ideas to repurpose or reinvent something existing or create something new entirely from scratch.

Raleigh Cline

Associate Principal, AIA, LEED AP

LEARN MORE

Raleigh Cline, born and raised in Northeast Ohio with a background in architecture and construction, has always embraced the power of design to enrich personal and professional endeavors. After studying architecture at Miami University in Ohio, he worked for architecture and development firms in Cleveland before relocating to Charlotte in 1999. Over the past 25 years, Raleigh has navigated the explosive growth in the Southeast region, working on high-profile projects with multiple stakeholders and financial interests. His expertise lies in partnering with clients to achieve successful project outcomes by combining design with financial goals. Beyond his professional life, Raleigh enjoys the small-town lifestyle of Belmont, NC, indulging his passions for boating on Lake Wylie and motorcycle riding in the mountains of Western NC and beyond.

Don Ferry

Senior Associate

LEARN MORE

Don Ferry came to HELT Design from Massachusetts with over 27 years of experience as a Project Architect and Project Manager. He always brings innovative design solutions to the table. He can marry thoughtful designs with code compliance and real-world buildable solutions that contractors appreciate in the field. Don is well-versed in construction management for new construction, additions, and adaptive reuse projects. Project expertise includes multifamily housing, senior housing, hotels, hospitals and medical centers, retail stores, office buildings, restaurants, schools (private, public K-12, and higher education), and over 200 single-family projects. Don Ferry is a graduate of Roger Williams University, Bristol, RI.

James Zink

Associate

LEARN MORE

James Zink has been with HELT Design since 2015 and serves as an Associate. His wide-ranging background in handling projects of all sizes from inception through completion makes him a tremendous value addition to every project. He has extensive experience with permitting, construction documents, and computer drafting technologies. Outside of the office, James coaches youth basketball and baseball programs and spends time with his family.

Daniel Richard

Associate Architect

LEARN MORE

Daniel Richard studied architecture at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, drawn to the field by a fascination with how buildings work and the artistry of historic cathedrals. With experience on a wide range of projects—from multi-family developments to adaptive reuse—he brings a detail-focused, problem-solving mindset to every design.

A licensed architect with over 10 years of experience, Daniel is passionate about how materials come together and believes good design balances form, function, and craft.

Outside the office, Daniel enjoys running, triathlons, camping, and any chance to unwind outdoors. His dream job? A 13th-century cathedral builder, pushing the limits of stone and imagination.

Ben Woods

Senior Project Manager

LEARN MORE

Every day, Ben Woods witnesses how architecture and design impact his life. Even though most do not perceive it or are unaware, it does occur. After all, buildings and spaces are made for people to inhabit, so why not provide an efficient building or space based on the audience that intends to utilize it? Ben Woods embraces every opportunity to provide solutions that transcend expectations and clients’ goals on projects. Becoming involved in the intricate process of design, construction, and collaboration with owners, builders, and other designers is of the utmost satisfaction, in my opinion, says Ben. Proper understanding and execution of the end goal is my primary focus and reassurance I’m providing a quality product from start to finish on any project.

Sara McDuffee

Senior Project Manager

LEARN MORE

Sara McDuffee studied architecture at the University of Detroit Mercy, drawn to the field by a lifelong love of art and making things. To her, architecture is the perfect convergence of creativity, problem-solving, and communication: art that people actually live and work inside every day.

As a Senior Project Manager, Sara brings experience across an unusually wide range of project types, from hospitality and healthcare to historic preservation, adaptive reuse, and industrial facilities. She’s earned recognition on award-winning projects, though she measures success differently: a positive experience for the client and team, a safe and well-functioning build, and ideally a space that becomes essential to, or genuinely beloved by, the community it serves. Her process involves careful listening, design thinking, and a bit of psychology, translating a client’s vision and budget into something that reflects and strengthens their identity.

Inspiration, she’ll tell you, can come from anywhere: history, fashion, nature, a chance observation. Which suits her well, since almost every project brings a new challenge worth solving.

Sara joins HELT, eager to take on more community-focused work, the kind of projects where a well-considered space can quietly shape the people and places it serves.

Valeria Ramon

Project Manager

LEARN MORE

Valeria Ramon was born and raised in Ecuador but has lived in three different countries – this has taught her that there is always something new to learn. Her diverse background brings a different way of thinking about solutions to design problems. She believes 3D modeling transforms two-dimensional ideas to life, allowing designers and clients to clearly understand the conditions of a project before they are in the field and under construction. She has a Bachelor of Applied Science in Architecture from Ecuador and a Master’s degree in Architecture and Urbanism project management from Spain and Mexico. When she moved to the United States, she got an Associate of Applied Science in Architectural Technology to understand how architecture is conceived, produced, and built. In her free time, she loves to spend time with her family and visit new places to eat.

Selvyn Grandison

Project Manager

LEARN MORE

Selvyn Grandison believes Architecture is an intricate set of designs that lies at the intersection of art and science and tries to unify its surroundings. Selvyn is most excited when he is able to collaborate with others to bring a design to fruition and to know he has pleased the client. Selvyn is committed to doing what it takes (creating, exploring, listening, asking, etc.) to get the project completed in a timely manner. “The more I am challenged, the more passionate I become, and for that, I probably wouldn’t want to do anything else. My role is to not only be a team player but also make sure the client’s needs are met. Collaboration and working closely with the team is the best and most efficient way to get the best quality product for the client.”

Cecilia Guardia

Project Manager

LEARN MORE

Cecilia Guardia brings a diverse background in architecture, with experience spanning residential, commercial, federal, and interior-focused projects. With a Master’s Degree in Architecture, she has developed a design approach that balances creativity with technical precision, guided by a deep understanding of how the built environment shapes the way people live, work, and connect.

Throughout her career, Cecilia has drawn inspiration from observation—how people interact with space, as well as the influence of materials, light, and cultural context. Her experience includes work on complex, high-end residential developments such as Vista Real in Venezuela, where she contributed to the design of luxury high-rise condominiums that maximize views while integrating architecture, interiors, and outdoor living. Navigating challenges related to density, market expectations, and spatial quality, she helped deliver environments that are both refined and livable.

Cecilia’s expertise lies in bridging architectural design with the interior experience, carefully aligning layout, materials, and spatial relationships to create cohesive, functional environments. Her global perspective—shaped by international experience, travel, and exposure to diverse cultures—supports her ability to lead projects with a thoughtful, collaborative approach.

Drawn to HELT Design’s strong design culture and team-oriented environment, Cecilia is excited to contribute to a wide range of project types while continuing to grow professionally.

John Lee

Project Technician

LEARN MORE

John Lee is passionate about helping to craft the client’s dream vision of architecture that inspires. With years of 3D design and construction drawing experience, John enjoys finding unique and collaborative ways to solve design problems to the client’s complete satisfaction. John believes in the iterative process of continually improving a project through thoughtful consideration of all elements of the design process. Being humbled to be part of a talented group of experienced professionals inspires John to offer his best daily to get projects done. Each completed project inspires him to learn and improve processes that are meant to be mutually beneficial to all the stakeholders in a project. He says, “To see a project give the client a happy feeling is what I aim to achieve each day I’m in the office.”

HELT Design
6405 W. Wilkinson Blvd #100
Belmont, NC 28012
704-342-1686
Info@HELTdesign.com

Modern Architecture and Interior Design Services
Licensed in 46 States
HELT Design is a full-service, architecture and interior design firm with core capabilities throughout commercial, industrial, retail, restaurant, adaptive reuse, multi-family, and modern minimalist residential design.

Founded in 1969, the firm has displayed a long track record of sustained success serving clients nationwide with LEED accredited professionals and licensure in 46 states.

Design + Development by Visual Caffeine