John Wesley Miller — Founder

For over fifty years, John Wesley Miller has been building homes in Tucson, Arizona. His projects include custom homes in most major subdivisions within the prestigious Catalina Foothills and the metropolitan area of Tucson.
Miller is a national leader in energy conservation and green building practices. He was a consultant working in close collaboration with Pima County to promote a program for energy efficient homes and the use of solar energy, and with the University of Arizona’s Environmental Research Laboratory in developing new energy saving products and technologies.
John Wesley Miller’s professional reputation and longtime experience in energy efficient and solar construction led to his involvement in several high-profile projects. During construction of the Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona, Miller served as general contractor for all support facilities and acted as energy consultant for the project as a whole. Miller’s interest and efforts in the development of an energy efficient, sustainable community led to the creation of the Tucson Solar Village, now known as the community of Civano, in Tucson, Arizona. In 2007, John Wesley Miller Companies began renovating the historic McLellan Building in downtown Tucson, with the intent of contributing to the revitalization of downtown by converting an antiquated building into a high tech, energy-efficient one. The building is now home to several restuarants. John's most recent development, Armory Park del Sol, consists of 94 single-family homes in the historic downtown neighborhood of Armory Park. These masonry homes blend historic design with state-of-the-art solar energy and construction techniques.
John is a Senior Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, and served as Chairman of the National Research Committee for Housing for the National Association of Home Builders. He has received several industry honors and awards for building quality and energy conservation, and is one of four builders in the U.S. selected by the Department of Energy to develop a zero-energy use home. The Partnerships for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) has also selected Armory Park del Sol as a national demonstration site.
In 2007, John Wesley Miller Companies was awarded with the an AARP/NAHB Livable Communities Award, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Arizona Innovation Award, a Metropolitan Pima Alliance Common Ground Award and Armory Park del Sol was named a “Top 10 Cottage Neighborhood” by Cottage Living Magazine, as well as one of Tucson’s “Best Places to Live” by AZ Foothills Magazine. In 2006, John Wesley Miller Companies was the winner of the Metropolitan Pima Alliance Common Ground Award for Residential Development. The company also won the 2005 Nation’s Most Energy Efficient Builder of the Year Award from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center and Most Livable Community from The Sonoran Institute. In 2004, John Wesley Miller Companies received Builder of the Year from Southern Arizona Home Builders Association for the Armory Park del Sol development. In addition, the Company received Most Energy Efficient Home in Greater Tucson in the Production Builder Category for the Armory Park del Sol 2059 model. Other awards include Outstanding Green Advocate of the Year for 2002 from the National Association of Home Builders.
John Wesley Miller Companies’ in-house staff of construction and building professionals contributes years of construction, site development, marketing and management experience and expertise.
Miller is a national leader in energy conservation and green building practices. He was a consultant working in close collaboration with Pima County to promote a program for energy efficient homes and the use of solar energy, and with the University of Arizona’s Environmental Research Laboratory in developing new energy saving products and technologies.
John Wesley Miller’s professional reputation and longtime experience in energy efficient and solar construction led to his involvement in several high-profile projects. During construction of the Biosphere 2 in Oracle, Arizona, Miller served as general contractor for all support facilities and acted as energy consultant for the project as a whole. Miller’s interest and efforts in the development of an energy efficient, sustainable community led to the creation of the Tucson Solar Village, now known as the community of Civano, in Tucson, Arizona. In 2007, John Wesley Miller Companies began renovating the historic McLellan Building in downtown Tucson, with the intent of contributing to the revitalization of downtown by converting an antiquated building into a high tech, energy-efficient one. The building is now home to several restuarants. John's most recent development, Armory Park del Sol, consists of 94 single-family homes in the historic downtown neighborhood of Armory Park. These masonry homes blend historic design with state-of-the-art solar energy and construction techniques.
John is a Senior Life Director of the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) and of the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, and served as Chairman of the National Research Committee for Housing for the National Association of Home Builders. He has received several industry honors and awards for building quality and energy conservation, and is one of four builders in the U.S. selected by the Department of Energy to develop a zero-energy use home. The Partnerships for Advancing Technology in Housing (PATH) has also selected Armory Park del Sol as a national demonstration site.
In 2007, John Wesley Miller Companies was awarded with the an AARP/NAHB Livable Communities Award, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano’s Arizona Innovation Award, a Metropolitan Pima Alliance Common Ground Award and Armory Park del Sol was named a “Top 10 Cottage Neighborhood” by Cottage Living Magazine, as well as one of Tucson’s “Best Places to Live” by AZ Foothills Magazine. In 2006, John Wesley Miller Companies was the winner of the Metropolitan Pima Alliance Common Ground Award for Residential Development. The company also won the 2005 Nation’s Most Energy Efficient Builder of the Year Award from the National Association of Home Builders Research Center and Most Livable Community from The Sonoran Institute. In 2004, John Wesley Miller Companies received Builder of the Year from Southern Arizona Home Builders Association for the Armory Park del Sol development. In addition, the Company received Most Energy Efficient Home in Greater Tucson in the Production Builder Category for the Armory Park del Sol 2059 model. Other awards include Outstanding Green Advocate of the Year for 2002 from the National Association of Home Builders.
John Wesley Miller Companies’ in-house staff of construction and building professionals contributes years of construction, site development, marketing and management experience and expertise.
Awards & Timeline
- 2018 — AEE Legends in Energy Recognition, awarded by the Association of Energy Engineers
- 2016 — SAHBA's Legacy Award, awarded by Southern Arizona Home Builders Association, January 2017
- 2016 — Arizona Daily Star Reader's Choice WINNER for BEST Solar Energy Home Builder
- 2015 — US Department of Energy's Lifetime Legacy Award, accepted in Denver, Colorado on Oct. 6, 2015 at the DOE's Housing Innovation Awards.
- 2014 — Tucson Electric Power Company's Bright EE Awards, "Lifetime Contribution to Residential Energy Efficiency"
- 2009 — Lead Builder behind Tucson’s first Extreme Makeover: Home Edition house.
- 2007 — Armory Park del Sol wins the first AARP/NAHB Livable Communities Award for a “Builder up to 2500 sq. ft”.
- 2007 — Armory Park del Sol named one of Tucson’s “Best Places to Live” by Arizona Foothills Magazine
- 2007 — Armory Park del Sol named “Top 10 Cottage Neighborhoods”, Cottage Living Magazine
- 2007 — Arizona Innovation Award, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano
- 2007 — Grand Opening held for Armory Park del Sol’s second generation Net Zero Energy Home, which is designed to produce at least as much energy as it uses
- 2007 — Member, NAHB Green Building Standards Consensus Committee — formed to develop and publish ANSI-approved standard on residential green building in collaboration with International Codes Committee (ICC)
- 2007 — Renovation began of downtown Tucson’s McLellan Building (built 1947) with the intent of developing it into an energy-efficient green building and contributing to the revitalization of downtown Tucson
- 2006 — Tucson Common Ground Award, Metropolitan Pima Alliance
- 2006 — Senior Life Director, National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
- 2005 — Sonoran Institute Faces of Conservation Awards, Livable Community Award
- 2005 — NAHB Research Center/US Dept. of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratories, Energy Value Housing Award, Builder of the Year
- 2005 — NAHB Research Center/US Dept. of Energy/National Renewable Energy Laboratories, Energy Value Gold Award
- 2003 — Southern Arizona Home Builders (SAHBA), Builder of the Year
- 2003 — City of Tucson, Home Energy Efficiency Award “Most Energy Efficient Home in Greater Tucson”
- 2002 — National Association of Home Builders, Green Builder Advocate of the Year
- 2002 — Builder of the first Net Zero Energy Home in cooperation with DOE, National Renewable Energy Lab, NAHB Research Center for Housing
- 1999-2000-2001 — Founder & Co-Chairman, National Green Builders Conference Energy Lab, NAHB Research Center for Housing
- 1986 & 1999 — Chairman, National Association of Home Builders Research Committee
- 1985-1994 — General Contractor & Energy Consultant, Biosphere 2 Project
- 1985 — President, Southern Arizona Home Builders
- 1983-2004 — Board Member, National Research Center for Housing
- 1977-Present — Life Director, Southern Arizona Association of Home Builders
- 1973 — Southern Arizona Home Builders (SAHBA), Builder of the Year
- 1973 — Started the Solar Research & Development at University of Arizona ERL
- 1959 — Became Realtor/Broker
- 1957 — Obtained Real Estate License
- 1953 — Built First Home
- Arizona Solar Energy Commission, Past Chairman (under four Arizona Governors)
- Tucson Community Volunteer Organizations
- Primavera Foundation for the Homeless, Board Member 1984-2004
- Tucson Botanical Gardens, Board Member
- Downtown Tucson Partnership, Board Member
- Patronato San Xavier, Associate Member
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"We must elevate the term "green builder" and give it new meaning. Doing so will be a major step toward the recognition of our role as environmentalists.— John Wesley Miller |