Builder Homesite launches new Home Power Portal for Women, an innovative DIY community site with enhanced content, social networking tools, and home experts
Austin, TX – December 1, 2010 – Builder Homesite, Inc., a consortium of 35 of the nation’s largest home builders, today announced the launch of the new BeJane.com website. Be Jane is a leading online brand in the $70 billion female Do It Yourself (DIY) home improvement space. Builder Homesite acquired the website and is re-launching BeJane.com with a fresh design, enhanced content, interactive tools, and a new group of Expert Janes to provide insight on a variety of topics. The Expert Janes are led by visionary executive and popular home coach, Suzanne Horton who as Chief Jane conceived and designed the new Home Power Portal for Women. The new site was created to be a central digital media resource to provide guidance, inspiration and encouragement to women as they tackle all their home projects.
“We are excited about a new BeJane.com site that with new partners, new content, and new experts is better than ever,” said Melissa Morman, VP and General Manager at Builder Homesite. “Surveys have shown that women make up to 85% of remodeling decisions and 70% would like to know more about home maintenance and repair. Our goal is for the new BeJane.com to be a valuable and interactive community that women can count on as they embark on these projects.”
The new BeJane.com site is a leading resource where women can research all aspects of buying, building, and renovating their homes. The site offers a wealth of how-to information and video content related to the home such as instruction on how to use power tools and tips for becoming a green consumer as well as useful home product information on topics such as home security, home organization, sewing, home décor, appliances, painting, nurseries, and parenting. Visitors can explore these areas with the guidance of fun, fresh Expert Janes — a group of energetic women who bring unique perspectives and years of industry experience to the BeJane.com community.
As Chief Jane and BeJane.com spokesperson, Ms. Horton, a digital media and home industry veteran has drawn on her knowledge of the home project process to create the ultimate Home Power Portal concept.
“Over the years in working with hundreds of people on their various home projects, I’ve designed techniques to make homebuilding, DIY projects, and interior design manageable and fun. In creating this new site I always envisioned BeJane.com as a ‘change agent’ in the home space focusing specifically on women and giving them the tools and confidence to master the homebuying process and renovation experience,” said Ms. Horton. “I truly believe that once a woman feels empowered in her home she can then take that sense of accomplishment to make a positive difference in the world. This is why I’ve felt strongly about teaming up to support a variety of causes in the community such as Habitat for Humanity and Fran Drescher’s Cancer Schmancer.”
And the home industry heartily supports that viewpoint. “Whirlpool Corporation is a proud sponsor of BeJane.com,” said Terri Connett, Whirlpool Corporation senior manager of contract marketing and design. “We deliver some of the most trusted appliance brands in the nation — Whirlpool, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Maytag and Amana — and have helped empower women to care for their families and entertain guests for 100 years. We also share Be Jane’s social responsibility stance by donating an Energy Star Qualified Whirlpool refrigerator and range to every Habitat for Humanity home built in North America.”
Ms. Horton continued, “Women in particular need a trusted community where they can discover information about their home in a supportive environment. Today nearly 1 in 4 homes in the US is owned by a single woman and nearly 91% of all homes in the US are owned either singly or jointly by women. Given that women control 83% of all the purchasing power in the US, it was truly gratifying to see how quickly the home industry has embraced the new vision for BeJane.com.”
Builder Homesite has already signed up many leading home brands as core flagship sponsors and welcomes additional partners who seek to promote their home products and women-oriented services within the dynamic Be Jane community. BeJane.com flagship sponsors include ClosetMaid, Schlage, Whirlpool, Jenn-Air, KitchenAid, Maytag, Amana, Hunter Douglas, Velux, Brother, LEGO, PPG Pittsburgh Paints, and Seagull Lighting.
“The newly redesigned BeJane.com portal is a powerful resource for the millions of women who comprise the huge yet often-overlooked female DIY market,” said Ann Matheis, Brand Director for Schlage, a strategic brand of Ingersoll Rand. “Schlage is delighted to part of the Be Jane community and we are particularly excited about the potential for women to not only gain a wealth of practical how-to knowledge but to share their experiences whether it be about home improvement or personal growth and family through the site’s forums and social networking tools.” ClosetMaid also recognized the cutting edge impact and empowering aspect of this new initiative. “ClosetMaid®, a leader in home storage and organization, is proud to be a sponsor of the fresh, new BeJane.com website,” says Lisa Engel, Vice President, Channel Marketing and Communications, ClosetMaid. “It’s a great resource for people, particularly design-savvy women, wanting to tackle DIY home improvement projects. Like BeJane.com, ClosetMaid’s products are designed to empower the homeowner and provide them with a variety of storage and organization solutions that can be customized to fit their needs and budgets.”
Dee Schlotter, National Color Brand Manager, PPG, Pittsburgh Paints understands the influence of women in the home design process and helped to launch the innovative Voice of Color program to capture the emotional appeal of color. “We are very excited to be part of BeJane.com. The site is solution-based, empowering, and fun! What we like about bejane.com is that it gives you the inspiration, confidence and know-how to get your project done exactly the way you want it. At Voice of Color, we know how overwhelming choosing paint color can be, and that’s why we created the Color Sense Game to invite our customers to find colors that are personal and meaningful for all their painting projects. At BeJane.com, it fits right in.”
For more information, please visit www.BeJane.com or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities, please email info@bejane.com.
ABOUT BUILDER HOMESITE, INC.
Builder Homesite, Inc. was founded with a mission to bring homebuilding industry leaders together to develop world-class technology solutions. Builder Homesite is a consortium of 35 of the nation’s largest homebuilders, and its flagship product is NewHomeSource.com, a consumer website offering the Internet’s most comprehensive information and selection of new homes available. For more information about Builder Homesite, visit www.builderhomesite.com. BeJane.com offers women a full range of home improvement articles, tips/tricks, videos, and how-to guides. For more information about Be Jane, visit www.bejane.com.
FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Builder Homesite, Inc.
Eleanor Bowman, 512.413.5278 / ebowman (at) builderhomesite.com
Be Jane Spokesperson/Chief Jane
Suzanne Horton, 310.579.5254 / Suzanne (at) bejane.com