Clay Haynes

Clay Haynes is a creative thinker and hands-on builder guided by the conviction that growth comes with a duty to protect what matters most. He founded Public Square to make meaningful contributions to the community through the built environment, applying a design-forward, sustainable approach to projects ranging from infill to institutional. Clay creates clarity from complexity, analyzing problems over a long time horizon with the conviction that the easiest path is not always the best.

For more than 15 years, Clay has proudly served the Middle Tennessee region, working hand in hand with the small business owners, entrepreneurs, and artists who create the fabric of our region's character. He is grounded in the belief that we are stewards of place and must pass things along to the future better than we found it. He’s a proud graduate of Washington University in St. Louis, but he’ll be the first to tell you that his most important roles are as a father and a husband.