Willow Glen Resident
Community
Architect Greg Stowers honored by Chamber for civic involvement
By Lynn Crocker
The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce will honor one of Willow Glen's own at its annual dinner.
Greg Stowers, who resides in Willow Glen with his wife, Leina, and their 2-year-old twin sons, was recently chosen as the Business Person of the Year in Los Gatos. Stowers Associates Architects is located in town.
According to Ronee Nassi, executive director of the Los Gatos Chamber, the award is given to an individual who not only runs an ethical business with strong ties to the Los Gatos community, but also personally gives back to the community in a service capacity.
Nassi says no one is more deserving than Stowers.
"Greg is the epitome of what we were thinking when we developed this award four years ago," she says. "He is one of the most giving people I know and is involved in many, many different community service organizations. If someone has a project and they need help, he is there for people. He does what he can and is a fine human being."
Among his many civic activities, Stowers is currently vice president and treasurer of Senior Housing Solutions, a nonprofit organization dedicated to developing affordable housing to help extremely low-income seniors improve their quality of life. He is also a team leader of an after-school program at RJ Fisher Elementary designed to educate students about architecture. Through the EMQ Children and Family Services UPLIFT program, he mentors a young man with an interest in architecture.
Stowers Associates Architects Inc. was started in 1966 by his father, Richard. The younger Stowers, who turns 40 this year, can say the business literally has influenced his entire life.
Stowers fondly remembers the architecture-focused family vacations he went on as a child.
"We saw other things of course, but a lot of time was spent looking at buildings while on vacation," he says.
His father's love of architecture rubbed off on him, and after he graduated from Los Gatos High School, he left the Bay Are to attend school at the University of Oregon where he earned a bachelor's degree in architecture. Stowers initially worked for an architecture firm in Oregon before deciding joining his father at Stowers Associates in 1991. In 1998 Stowers took over as the firm's president.
"It is great working with Dad," he says. "We are very compatible design-wise, and he is a great mentor. I couldn't have had a better opportunity."
The firm's work ranges from single-family homes to commercial and civic projects. Recent projects include the renovation of the Campbell Police Station and Santa Clara County Fire Station in Los Gatos Fire Station on Shannon Road.
Stowers says he enjoys the problem solving challenges.
"I like figuring out how people live and work and then building something that's useful to them," he says. "In the example of a fire station, it is a house designed around a specific purpose--to provide a comfortable place to live while simultaneously making sure the design will get people out the door as fast as possible."
The Los Gatos Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner and Business Person of the Year Award takes place on July 20 at 5:30 p.m. at The Opera House in Los Gatos. Tickets are $65 per person for members and $75 for non-members. For more information, call 408.395.5951.
