Business

Art Espey: Innovating the Way We Relax

Art Espey: Innovating the Way We Relax

“Change people’s lives through innovation.”

Art Espey wants you to have an oasis right in your backyard. His business, Choza, specializes in “luxurious personal relaxation spaces.” They are similar to the trend, She Sheds (“man caves for women”), but are made with the whole family in mind. “Many of our customers asked us for bathrooms and kitchens in their personal relaxation spaces. This moved us into the tiny home market,” Art explains. “Unlike lots of tiny homes, Chozas are not trailers, they are permanent structures built on a solid foundation.” They build modules in their factory. Art compares the process of building these modules to Legos. “We snap them together right on your property. You get a great space without the inconvenience of long on-site disruptions that are standard in traditional construction,” he says. “Our brands – Deeva Dens, Cigar Caves – and Zen Caves are modular and are providing us an opportunity to build a national network for distribution and installation”



Espey has seen the demand for spaces that imitate the comfort of people’s homes and for more environmentally friendly tiny homes. “We felt that our initial experiments with solar options were too expensive, but recently we have been approached by both developers seeking to build environmentally friendly tiny home communities and those who have rural properties and seek to develop camping sites for Airbnb,” he says.



Arts’ leadership in business and education has made him an expert in startup culture. He grew up in Detroit and holds a BS from the US Merchant Marine Academy, a MS from Eastern Michigan University, and a MA from the University of Virginia. As a ship navigator and an officer in the USMC, he had the privilege to visit over 50 countries. He uses his experience to guide emerging startups on their journey to being profitable and sustainable. “I am developing an eight-book series focused on helping startup founders and their teams build sustainable business practices,” he says. “This project grew out of my experience as a vice chair of one of the top 25 startup accelerators in the world. It is titled The Misfit Champion’s Sustainable Business Series. Innovation is one of the keys to successful entrepreneurship. Art Espey is the man behind the scenes who is motivating and pushing the innovators of today to create the world of tomorrow.



To learn more about Art Espey and Choza, you can visit hoza.us and follow Choza on Instagram @choza_backyard_oasis and on Facebook @chozaus.