Adam Meyer (Studio M Architects)

Adam Meyer is the owner of Studio M Architects in Minneapolis.

Some kids grow up wanting to run into burning buildings to save the pretty girl.

Others want to win Super Bowls and drive yellow Lamborghinis.

For Adam Meyer, he always wanted to architect spaces for entrepreneurs.  

Well, it was either that or become a paleontologist because he liked fossils and dinosaurs.

“I guess I outgrew dinosaurs,” he says with a laugh, his career choice having spared us of another wannabe prehistoric hunter who ends up in a Jurassic Park movie.  

In my mind, it must be hard to become an architect.

“It’s a lot of school and tests,” Adam says, validating my preconceived notion.

It sounds like there are a lot of regulations around architecture, which is a good thing because we can’t let just anyone design a restaurant or coffee shop, lest we potentially subject ourselves to long wait times and mood lighting that doesn’t quite capture the ambiance.

“It’s all in the name of protecting the life and safety of the public,” Adam says of these stringent codes.

“You don’t just get to become one [architect] overnight.”

I first met Adam at Forum, a networking group in Brooklyn Park that meets every Wednesday morning.

Admittedly, his personality is more difficult to pinpoint than the Czech Republic on a map of Europe.

As has been a theme of mine recently, I ask him a poorly worded question, something revolving around if all architects are like him, even though I’m still trying to figure out just who Adam Meyer is.

Mysterious architects.

What a trope.

Surely, I am having a personal contest to see just how terrible my queries can be.

As one might expect, Adam assures me that architects vary in personality, and that indeed they are not all the same.

“I wouldn’t say that I’m too unique in this scenario,” says Adam, a man with a master’s degree, several years of apprenticeship, and 16 years of business ownership under his belt.

A reserved yet passionate professional, Adam never runs toward the spotlight, as evidenced by his reluctance to exuberantly market his business for 40 seconds every Wednesday morning.

“It’s the worst,” Adam says of these nearly minute-long advertisements that probably should be conducted in 20-second intervals.

“Every time I get the mic in my hands, my palms are sweaty.”

But people don’t invest copious amounts of capital with Adam and Studio M Architects because they’re searching for a renowned orator.

Rather, they want to build the restaurant or coffee shop of their dreams, and they need an architectural savant like Adam to get them from ideation to conception.

“In our position, people come to us with their dreams,” he says, and while they do indeed walk through the doors of Studio M with aspirations, they are also carrying a large check, and sometimes, angst.

“There is also a lot of concern and worry, but I think that is natural when you’re spending that type of money.”

Quarter-mil, easy.

It’s almost like his clients are making a down payment on an NFL quarterback, if QB salaries rivaled that of 1990.

Like star athletes, a well-designed and constructed space can attract avid fans, but just like when GMs sign a prominent signal caller to a massive contract, restauranteurs encounter similar feelings when they delve into the abyss of the free market.

“It’s the unknown of business,” Adam remarks.

“A lot of them are jumping into a business that they hope they are going to succeed at.”

In some senses, Adam must assuage the concerns of his prospective clients, but he doesn’t employ histrionics or clever sales tactics to do so.

Instead, he leans into a stellar reputation that took over 15 years to cultivate, and quite literally, his expansive portfolio.

“It’s trust,” the design aficionado explains.

“We’ve done this so many times before, and there are so many examples of how we have succeeded.”

Aaron Rodgers once implored Packers fans to relax after a tumultuous start to their 2014 campaign.

In some cases, Adam does the same, albeit in a more calculated manner.

“Give the process a chance,” he encourages prospective clients, some of whom feel more comfortable micromanaging than deferring to an architectural expert.

“We have seen what works and what doesn’t work.”

Adds Adam:

“The ideal partner is someone who is able to put their ego aside.”

When working with Studio M, partnership and collaboration are critical components of the design process, but you can’t be a helicopter client.

That may be a big ask, considering sometimes people are investing their life savings into these endeavors, but that mentality is crucial for maintaining sanity during what might otherwise be a stressful period for a client.

Looking ahead, Adam reveals that his architecture studio will evolve to include more voices beyond just his own.

“It’s not just all my way anymore,” he says.

On Studio M’s website, three other designers are part of the Minneapolis team, all of whom work well within the firm’s carefully constructed system that simultaneously encourages innovation.

“Hopefully that collaborative component continues to develop new opportunities,” Adam says.

To this point, readers have read about Forum, football, and the intensity of architecture, but there is more that Adam would like people to know.

“There is more to what architects do than just the permitting component,” he says.

“We provide a lot of planning and opportunity to see how things will happen before they need to happen.”

Adds Studio M’s founder:

“When you’re planning a business, those early conversations with architects can give you a lot of insight into processes you need to do, and legal steps you need to take. Again, there is a lot more that we do than just provide permits and documents.” QS

**

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