In 2004 I co-founded Merzproject with my friend and neighbor, Joe Herzog, with the belief we could inspire others to create bold projects, and change Phoenix and the world through architecture. Before I met Joe I never thought I would be in the architecture business. I come from a long line of small business owners in Arizona and was happy learning the mechanical contracting business from my father. I was very good at what I did. When Joe moved in across the street from me I didn't expect that only 11 months after meeting him, I would leave the family business and enter into a profession, opening a whole new world for me and my family.
While Joe was the architect who had practiced for five years, I was the one who asked him to start an architecture firm with me. It was literally a phone call that lasted a few minutes and led to Joe quitting his job to become a business owner. My wife and I decided to be Merzproject's first clients. After the renovation and addition of Hoover House, our home since 2000, we continued our extraordinary life change by purchasing an old warehouse along the future light-rail in downtown Phoenix that today houses Merzproject's office.
Not only did the process affect my everyday professional life, but it was important to learn architecture as a client and understand what being a patron of architecture truly meant. What better project than our new studio in which to discover a new profession, gain understanding of our clients, and create an inspiring world for our firm to inhabit every day of our lives?
joe herzog
Chris Nieto 
