PHOTOGRAPH BY TAWNI BANNISTER
Stephen Nieto, 38
Director of Urban Design & Land Development, Altum Group
Nieto’s hands touched architectural blueprints long before they turned the wheel of a car. He grew up working at his father’s Coachella Valley-based design business and eventually became an urban planner, helping create Palm Desert’s new Acrisure Arena and serving on the La Quinta Planning Commission. “[Being] a person who helps envision the future of communities is very important,” Nieto says. “The projects we do now have a ripple effect for many generations to come.”
• VIDEO: Stephen chat about the design projects that have meant the most to him so far in his career.