NIH Homes Named Sherburne County, MN
Woman-Centric Matters^sm Home Builder

OMAHA, NE (July 30, 2007) Woman-Centric Matters^sm, a division of Design Basics, the nation’s largest home plan design service to the building industry, announced today that NIH Homes, headquartered in Elk River, MN, has been licensed as an exclusive Woman-Centric Matters(sm) home builder.

Woman-centric homes intuitively appeal to women, according to Linda Reimer, President of Design Basics. Reimer explained that after conducting numerous focus groups with women of all ages and backgrounds from across the country, Design Basics discovered there are four primary aspects that are important to women when selecting a home plan: flexible living spaces; entertaining; storage; and destressing areas. “Because of the livability of woman-centric homes, the homes are popular with men, too.  From both an economic and a design standpoint, builders just can’t afford to continue offering the same old home designs. You have to look at a design through the lens of ‘how does the home live?’ because that’s the way women view a home,” said Reimer.

Jeremy Skogquist, son of NIH Homes founder, Larry Skogquist, said he was totally convinced of the value of the woman-centric approach after attending a two-day seminar at the Omaha, Nebraska headquarters of Design Basics to learn about woman-centric home design, building, and customer care. “ It just makes so much sense,” said Skogquist, continuing, “In addition to the home designs, we’re redesigning our customer’s experience of buying and building a new home. Everything is being structured to make the process less stressful and more enjoyable. With Woman-Centric Matters(sm), Design Basics is helping us transform our company into a remarkable business. They’re with us all the way.”

NIH Homes is a family business, founded over 30 years ago by Larry Skogquist and now run by Skogquist and his 3 sons, Jeremy, Colt and Chad. Skogquist states, “My sons and I have always been dedicated to providing more than just a house; we build homes, places where family memories are made.   Being a part of Woman-Centric Matters just gives us a way to do that better than ever. ”

For more information on these homes and others being built by NIH Homes, visit www.NIHHomes.com.

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Note to media professionals:
Woman-Centric Matters is a division of Design Basics, Inc. Whether it is a home plan, product or service, Woman-Centric Matters designs solutions from a woman’s perspective. For more information, visit www.WomanCentricMatters.com or contact Melissa Arnold, PR Coordinator, Melissa@womancentricmatters.com