A grainy black & white photograph hangs inconspicuously at the SpawMaxwell offices of a 5-year-old Tom Flaherty and his brother standing alongside their neighborhood buddy Fred Maxwell in front of a fort the boys built. The image foreshadows a successful future together in construction. Tom received his BBA in Accounting from A&M in 1978. He’s spent his career in Houston: Five years at one of the then Big Eight accounting firms, and eleven years as Chief Financial Officer/Principal at Morris Architects. Tom joined his old friend at Maxwell Company Construction in 1994 and played a key role in the merger that created SpawMaxwell. Today, Tom manages the company’s financial welfare: From accounting to payroll to human resources, and helps maintain the technology backbone that keeps it all running smoothly.
 
Tom and his wife Marybeth have three children. His training as an audit and tax man belies a creative side: Tom playfully describes himself as a “left handed CPA,” a nod to the creativity he expresses through photography, his love of travel, and the outdoors.  Tom is a supporter of many causes with service to:

• The Park People
• Boy Scouts of America
• Comprehensive Plan Action Committee – City of Bellaire, Texas
• Rice Design Alliance