Featuring THE LONDON CHAMBER ADVOCATE $2.95 VOL. 8 ISSUE 2

PM40064683

NOVEMBER2006

www.bus iness london.ca

Step aside, gentlemen.

Mira Vranic’s Impression Homes

are built with a woman in mind

2 November 2006 BUSINESS LONDON

Cover Story

she’s young and she’s beautiful. But spend sometime with 30-year-old homebuilder Mira Vranic andyou’ll quickly realize she can also be unrelenting,unforgiving and as tough as nails. These are, of course,traits that come with the territory.

Yet, as the president of Impression Homes, a compa-ny aspiring to turn the local homebuilding industry on itsear, Vranic also has the brawn and brains to let her soft-

er side bubble through. After all, after spending almosta decade competing in the male-dominated residentialconstruction industry, she’s absorbed more than herfair share of bruises. There isn’t much she hasn’t seen orheard, and she knows there isn’t a hoop she hasn’t beenforced to jump through...twice. So, every so often, whenthe whole process seems a little emotionally over-whelming, she’ll shed a tear. And then get back to work.

Step aside, gentlemen. Mira Vranic’s Impression Homes

are built with a woman in mind

By Jeffrey Reed

November 2006 BUSINESS LONDON 3

But there’s irony at work here, too, because it’s that softerfeminine side that is leading Vranic and her company down anew path—a trailblazing of sorts that will most certainly bewatched closely by the local homebuilding industry at large.

Simply put, Impression Homes is about to unveil a packageof home properties designed, built and marketed exclusivelywith the female purchaser in mind. Appearing on seven lotsacquired from Sifton Properties within its RiverBend GolfCommunity in northwest London, the detached homes—scheduled for a January 2007 grand opening—boast uniquedesigns for women, by a woman, starting at $350,000.

It’s a massive step for a company that has built just fivehomes since its incorporation in 1997. Then again, there justaren’t a lot of 21-year-old females who launch homebuildingcompanies. And there are even fewer developers willing tohand over lots to inexperienced young builders—male, femaleor Martian.

“I would get the lot that nobody else wanted—a lot on thecorner that backs onto a major street,” explains Vranic.“I don’twant to speculate or speak for anyone else, I just know it wasvery, very difficult for me to get lots. And let’s be honest. At 21,who is willing to give you a mortgage? I would go to the bankand they would look at me like, ‘You’re a cute little girl, but…’So my mother helped me get started.”

In many ways, the family aid was just another brick in a ca-reer foundation that Vranic says is “truly in her blood.” Raisedin St. Thomas and Tillsonburg by hard-working Croatian im-migrant parents Marko and Kata Filipovic, Vranic grew up on

the job site. Marko painted homes for more than 50 years,while Kata cleaned new homes in preparation of move-indates.

“My mom would bring me in a bassinet to the job site,” saysVranic. “And without money for daycare my mom wouldbring me along on the days my dad needed extra help.”

When she was old enough, Vranic joined in the work, clean-ing, sanding, staining and painting newly-constructed homes.And though she went on to study for a sociology degree atUWO, she moonlighted by reading the Ontario BuildingCode, cover to cover. “It’s not typical reading material,” laughsVranic, “but this building passion was always in the back ofmind.”

It’s a passion that spilled over to her adult personal life aswell. Vranic’s husband, John Vranic, shared her love for thehomebuilding industry, and with her encouragement, left hisjob as a maintenance electrician at Ford Talbotville to formVranic Homes in 2003. Today, Mira handles the design andsales (she is also a licensed realtor) end of the Vranic Homesbusiness, while John, 34, spends his time on-site.

In fact, the success of Vranic Homes helped boost Vranic’sconfidence and further her desire to create a unique mark withImpression Homes. It also wasn’t lost on the building commu-nity.

Phil Masschelein, Sifton’s senior land manager, says it wasthe strength of the Vranic husband-and-wife team that soldhim on Impression Homes. “I saw something in them,” hesays. “He is very acquainted with construction, and she has areal passion for design, promoting and marketing, so the twoof them together show some real potential.”

Talking about the new Impression Homes models, Vranicsays “they’re personalized, not custom.

“People hear custom and they right away think $500,000-plus. That’s not the case. I believe everyone deserves a homethat is personalized to their needs. This is the biggest invest-ment of their life. They deserve personalization and more timeduring the design phase.”

In the design of her homes, Vranic says she focuses on thefact women are embracing their roles as household decisionmakers who want builders to connect with their lifestyles.Models will feature space options for regrouping and de-stressing, a big emphasis on storage, rooms for multiple usesand even larger garages to accommodate the suburban mom’svehicle of choice—the minivan.

Of course, customizing homes is not a new concept, butVranic says Impression Homes will leave no stone unturnedwhen catering to the female buyer. A typical model will featurean open concept design, with a living room/great room opento a functional kitchen area. “A place where moms preparingmeals can still watch over the kids, interact with them whilethey are doing their homework or just be able to chat andbond with her family,” she says. “It’s also fabulous for enter-taining since everyone congregates around the kitchen. Thehostess can still interact with her guests.”

Cover Story

MIRA AND JOHN VRANIC

4 November 2006 BUSINESS LONDON

Impression Homes will also look to maximize space usage.“There is never enough storage in a home, period,” statesVranic, noting that walk-in closets will provide a tidier, morefunctional home, and dead space like room corners will fea-ture bookshelves or storage cabinets. In addition, the en suiteadjacent to the master bedroom will be large—a spa within ahome—and living rooms and family rooms will be expandedto accommodate families who today spend more time at homethan ever before. Special attention will also be paid to wiring,enabling the home to be outfitted with the latest in security,entertainment, appliance and home office technologies.

Female-centric design, however, is just part of theImpression Homes business model. Vranic has also enlisted amarketing team to brand the product in a distinct fashion.Advertising will target female buyers and promote the factImpression Homes is owned and operated by a female builder.Marketing images will depict women as the family decisionmakers, and artwork will target women through use of liberal,coordinated colours.

Sifton’s Masschelein says despite the fact he “took a risk” of-fering lots to an unproven, virtually unknown homebuilderwith a new method of designing and marketing homes, hedoes comprehend Vranic’s marketing methods.

“(Sifton) has done a lot of market research, including focusgroups,” says Masschelein. “Purchasing a new home is a com-plicated process. Amenities and location are important. Theinitial homebuying decisions are made by women, so I do seethe merit in what Mira is trying to do.”

Vranic already has a big fan in Joanne Thomas Yaccato, au-thor of The 80% Minority: Reaching the Real World of WomenConsumers. As president of a Toronto-based consulting firmspecializing in helping companies apply gender intelligence tobetter their business, she says Vranic is on the right track.

“Homes are primarily a woman’s domain,” says ThomasYaccato. “It’s jaw dropping to me that (building homes forwomen and marketing to women) is just now catching on.”She adds that she is not surprised Vranic has faced roadblocksalong the way. “Women not being taken seriously is a majorcomplaint.”

Interestingly, Thomas Yaccato inspired Calgary homebuilderShane Wenzel of Shane Homes to develop two model homesincorporating gender design strategies. Using many of the samedesigns Impression Homes will embody, his models include

gourmet kitchens, an abundance of counter and cupboardspace, a walk-in pantry with motion-triggered lighting andeven equal-sized children’s bedrooms so kids won’t argue withmom over who has the largest room.

“Almost all of the decisions about whether to purchase aparticular home are made by women,” says Thomas Yaccato,whose research also shows that women do most of the house-hunting and that single women buy more homes than singlemen.

Locally, seeing a woman in charge of a homebuilding com-pany is rare, but not entirely new. For example, Lina Pittao ispresident of Pittao Homes, and Nancy Strik is president ofDouble N Homes. There has also been one female president ofthe London Home Builders’ Association—Rennie Pietermanof Practical Plumbing in 2003.

In her vision for Impression Homes, Vranic believes a qual-ity home playing to needs of women will be marketing hit atRiverBend—a niche that will lead to expansion of the businessand its concept to other communities across southwesternOntario.

“Mira is extremely ambitious and a true go-getter,” says herhusband, John. “No matter what roadblocks she may en-counter, she never gives up and always stays positive. She hasaccomplished so much as a young businesswoman and leader.”

“This has been a work in progress for 30 years,” she sayssimply. “I know what women want in a home.” bL

“I believe everyone deserves a home

that is personalized to their needs.

This is the biggest investment of their

life. They deserve personalization and

more time during the design phase”

- mira vranic