Housing briefs

LITTLE FALLS -- Habitat for Humanity of Morrison County will host its quarterly Habitat Night at 6 p.m. Feb. 17 at First Lutheran Church, 2100 Riverview Drive in Little Falls.

The public, those interested in becoming Habitat homeowners and Habitat committee members are invited to the event hosted by the board of directors.

Attendees will learn about the Habitat housing ministry and volunteer committee function, and will receive a current building process update.

To qualify as a Habitat homeowner, families must meet income requirements, have lived in Morrison County for at least one year, have a housing need, be willing to partner with Habitat in performing 300 hours of sweat equity on their home, and be able to repay the no-interest mortgage.

Members of the Family Selection Committee will be available to explain the application process, assist in completing the application and answer questions.

For more information, call the Habitat of Humanity of Morrison County office at (320) 616-2084.

Gunsbury, Miller attend builders show

BAXTER -- Brent Gunsbury and Thomas Miller of Bercher Design & Construction, Baxter, recently attended the nation's largest home building show, the International Builders' Show in Las Vegas.

It was Bercher's 24th consecutive year of attendance.

The show looks at the innovative building techniques and latest design trends from nearly 200 seminars and 1,600 different exhibitors showcasing the industry's newest building products.

More than 90,000 other building industry professionals attended the National Association of Home Builders-sponsored event, which had a total exhibit area equal to 40 football fields -- equivalent to 1.6 million square feet.

Nor-son wins safety award

BAXTER -- Nor-son, Inc. was awarded a Platinum Level of Achievement Safety Training and Evaluation Process Award for the year 2003 from the Associated Builders and Contractors at the national level.

The award was given in recognition of Nor-son's continuous efforts in the development of a commendable safety program. Weekly safety meetings are conducted on all job sites to ensure safety issues are discussed and addressed.

Nor-son, Inc. is a three-time recipient of the STEP Platinum award. Don Hines is Nor-son safety director.

Jackson joins Optimum Mortgage in Baxter

Scott Jackson recently joined Optimum Mortgage Services, Inc., Baxter office as a loan officer.

Jackson previously worked out of Optimum Mortgage's Little Falls branch.

Heinens gain certification

Pat and Nick Heinen, Edina Realty, Brainerd, were recently certified as relocation specialists with the Premier Real Estate Network called RELO.

RELO provides home sellers with moving related services, school information and demographics. The Heinens earned their certification at the Edina Corporate Offices.