Joshua Hart: Pushing Boundaries
Joshua Hart, P.E., vice president at Modular Solutions, can sum up his job responsibilities in one sentence: “I do whatever needs to be done.” Hart thrives on the variety and the opportunity to be involved in every aspect of the company. And it shows!
You might say Hart has come full circle.
He grew up working at Modular Solutions, the company his father, mother, and aunt started in 1996, doing odd jobs during summers and high school.
He thought it would be “cool” to run the company one day, but when it came time for college, he opted for a career path in engineering.
After graduating from Arizona State University with a degree in electrical engineering, he was hired by a small engineering firm where he received extensive mentoring. Within a few years, the company merged with WSP USA, a global engineering and professional service company. There, Hart worked with a variety of clients and many general contractors, learning different styles and approaches to construction.
“I had a great little seat to see how things are done in the construction industry through a lot of different eyes,” he says.
About five years ago, at age 29, Hart entertained the idea of starting his own firm. His father, Joe Hart, gave him another option: Come to work at Modular Solutions as vice president, learn the ropes, and run the company after he retired.
Modular Solutions, based in Phoenix, AZ, began as a small modular dealership. Today, it’s a full-service, design-build manufacturer serving Arizona, California, Utah, Nevada, New Mexico, and the greater Southwest. It produces custom modular buildings for a variety of commercial applications such as educational facilities, office buildings, and healthcare facilities.
“I never thought I’d be back,” Hart says.
But he is, and he’s immersed himself in learning the business and using his acquired knowledge to make it even better.
Full Steam Ahead
Hart isn’t afraid of hard work. Far from it. During the summer, he typically arrives at the plant around four in the morning to meet with production. By nine, he’s in the office and usually doesn’t leave until eight at night. During the school year, however, the father of seven daughters works shorter hours so he can devote more time to family.
Joshua Hart is vice president at Modular Solutions in Phoenix, AZ.
He is directly responsible for the architectural engineering department, quality control, and project management. He’s also actively involved in human resources—hiring, conducting employee reviews, and, in general, ensuring employees are happy on the job.
One of the favorite parts of his job is onsite client visits. He enjoys being able to oversee a client’s project from beginning to end. At WSP USA, he worked on just a portion of many huge expensive projects.
“Our projects aren’t as big or as expensive as those, but they are very cool, different processes,” Hart says. “Some of the jobs we’ve done were thought to be close to impossible, but we figured out to do them, and do them cost effectively. I really enjoy pushing the boundaries of what modular buildings are.”
Caring Leads to Success
Modular Solution’s biggest challenge is a good one to have—acquiring enough new staff to keep up with the rapidly growing workload. Fortunately, the company has a core of experienced people who help new hires grow into their respective roles and understand the industry.
Hart attributes the company’s success to the caring exhibited by this core group who have been there from the beginning and understand the industry and how the company has evolved. They are the ones who helped Hart understand the different processes and the reasoning behind them when he returned to Modular Solutions.
It’s a two-way street.
“They have given me the trust to make changes using the different processes I’ve learned,” Hart says. “It’s a great relationship.”
Many of their kids and grandkids work at the company as well.
“It’s humbling and nice to know that we’re doing a good enough job that people want to stay her and have their family work here,” Hart says.
In fact, once the team began designing and building their sleek, modern, energy-efficient homes, it quickly overtook even their established custom-building business.
Advice to Live By
Hart has had many mentors along the way who imparted great wisdom, but one piece of advice he lives by is a saying a wrestling coach once told his dad: ‘He who hesitates is lost.’
“If you sit around and wait for answers or for something to happen, you’re pretty much done,” Hart says. “You’ve got to get out there and just do it.”
For example, in his new role, Hart must communicate with people inside and outside of the company. While he’d taken a class in school and had met with clients, contractors, and consultants in his prior workplace, he realized he needed to improve his communication skills. What did he do? He joined Toastmasters.
“It’s fantastic,” he says. “It helps tremendously with communication.”
Looking Ahead
Hart is looking forward to seeing continued growth for the company over the next few years, especially in the company’s design firm and general contractor services.
He’s also looking forward to running the company, alongside his two brothers, after his father retires. He’s already mastered the basics. Next, he’ll tackle company finances, insurance, taxes, “and all that fun stuff” in preparation for running the company.
“That’s one of the reasons why I work so hard,” he says.
Over the past fifteen to twenty years, Hart’s seen a gradual increase in the acceptance of modular construction. When he talks about modular buildings, some people still think of only manufactured homes or double classrooms. It has been challenging to change the perception of what a modular building can be, but he believes acceptance will continue to grow.
“Throughout all industries, we’ve made breakthroughs on the possibilities with and advantages of modular building,” Hart says. “I think people are starting to see that, understand that, and get excited about it.”
With people like Hart advocating for modular building and pushing the boundaries of what modular building can be, there is indeed a lot to get excited about.
About the Author: Shari Held is an Indianapolis-based freelance writer who has been covering the construction industry for more than 20 years.
More from Modular Advantage
Resia: Breaking All the Rules
Resia Manufacturing, a division of U.S.-based Resia, is now offering prefabricated bathroom and kitchen components to industry partners. Its hybrid fabrication facility produces more precise bathroom and kitchen components (modules) faster and at lower cost than traditional construction. Here’s how Resia Manufacturing does it.
How LINQ Modular Innovates to Bring Modular To The Market in the UAE and Beyond
LINQ Modular, with an office and three manufacturing facilities in Dubai, is a modular firm based in United Arab Emirates. The company is on a mission: to break open the housing and construction markets in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) area with modular.
ModMax: Redefining Modular Construction with Confidence and Precision
ModMax was born out of frustration—frustration with five persistent pain points in modular construction: Permitting bottlenecks. Production delays. Rigid designs. Disconnect between “the office” and the field. Lack of transparency and communication.
LifeArk: Disaster-Resilient Housing from Recycled Plastic and 100-year-old Technology
Wee compares LifeArk’s housing units to Yeti coolers, as they are built similarly. Each component takes 15 to 20 minutes to manufacture, has an R-value of 40, and includes molded slots and chases for wiring, plumbing, fire sprinklers, and other utilities.
Building the Future of Modular Edge Infrastructure
The edge data center market is expanding rapidly, driven by the surge in AI workloads, IoT adoption, and the need for localized compute power. In these environments, sustainability, scalability, and reliability are non-negotiable. Cooling is among the most complex challenges for operators—and one of the most decisive factors in long-term success.
Accelerating Light-Gauge Steel Construction: A Semi-Automated Digital Workflow for Off-Site Projects
For construction professionals, the message is clear. By adopting semi-automation and digitalization, companies can deliver projects faster, more accurately, and more profitably, while also building stronger collaboration across teams. The approach is not about replacing people with machines, but about empowering people with better tools and processes.
Why Modular Data Centers Are Gaining Momentum
Artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and edge applications push the limits of traditional “stick-built” data centers. They take years build, often struggle with high density workloads, and aren’t optimized for deployments near end users. Modular data center platforms are purpose-built to address these challenges, offering flexibility and scalability to adapt to evolving technologies, while opening new opportunities for the modular construction industry.
Supply Chain Innovation in Action: 5 Habits Every Modular Leader Should Practice
By applying these principles to supply chain practices — collaborative planning, strategic procurement, scenario modeling, digital tools, and transparent forecasting — construction leaders can build value chains that are not just efficient and agile, but truly innovative.
Exploring the Role of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC) in Advancing Circular City Principles – A Survey of Stakeholder Perspectives
The survey findings highlight the significant potential of Modular integrated Construction (MiC) in advancing the development of circular cities. By reducing costs, accelerating construction timelines, and minimizing waste generation, MiC offers a promising approach to sustainable urban development.
The Use of MS POLYMER™-Based Sealants and Adhesives in Modular Building
These products combine flexibility and elastic recovery with excellent adhesion to different substrates and have already shown their usefulness in traditional construction. Now it’s time for them to be put to use in the modular construction industry.