It might come as no surprise that at Nor-Son Custom Builders, our passion is in our projects. It’s a generalization considering the complexity of what we do. Yes, it’s true, but there is more to that statement and more that fuels our fire. Construction is a craft that we all love. To us the evolution of a plot of land transforming into a beautiful home is thrilling, but there is an element beyond strapping on our boots that gets us out of bed each morning—and that element is the relationships we build with those around us.
By those around us, we mean you, reading this. Whether you are a past or present client, or future client for that matter (hi, we’d love to chat), a trusted partner, one of our wonderful team members, or simply a reader passing by—it’s the connections with you that we do all of this for.
So, to connect and reflect during this holiday season, we’d like to take a moment to pull back the curtain and show you some of what we’ve been up to this year. We had a great year filled with exciting projects, fulfilling community involvement, and team connection. And, before we get into it, we want to say thank you for being a part of the Nor-Son family. Reflecting on our year brings back many great memories and motivates us for the year to come. Enjoy!
Q1
Our year started out strong with our team attending the annual NARI Whirlyball event. Our Senior Project Manager, Pat Schumacher, was proudly elected to sit on the NARI Board of Directors in 2025 and 2026, and our team was eager to support her at NARI’s first event of the year.
We were thrilled to have our Whitefish Modern project featured on the front cover of Midwest Design magazine after winning Best in Show at the 2024 Midwest Design Awards Gala! Shown below, the project was showcased on the front cover of the publication’s first issue following the awards gala, which arrived in homes early in the new year. After attending the last Midwest Design Awards Gala, we decided to sponsor the 2025 gala at the Gold Sponsorship level.
Within the community, team members Justin Berg and Ryan Hart continued their involvement in education-oriented programs through MMBA—one of which is called Tools for Schools. This program allows professionals in the industry, like Justin and Ryan, to go to various high schools in the area and talk to students about the construction industry.
Each year, Tools for Schools hosts a student-led shed-building competition, and this year we had the honor of sponsoring a team. Scoring for the competition is based on quality of work, timing of completion, and teamwork—and we’re thrilled to share that our team has now won first place three years in a row!
Q2
Spring is always an exciting time in our industry. Road restrictions lift, project starts ramp up, and one thing is for sure—our field teams are thrilled to retire those heavy-duty jackets.
Supporting causes that are meaningful to our team members and our clients is a large part of our culture here at Nor-Son Custom Builders. In Q2, we had the privilege of sponsoring and supporting two foundations—Jewish Family Services and Brainerd Public School Foundation. Our Eden Prairie team attended the JFS banquet in April and our Baxter team attended the BPSF Scholarship Recognition Night in May where we awarded our second annual scholarship to a Brainerd High School Senior.
Additionally, our President, Matt Holmstrom, was busy speaking on two panels. One alongside Mark Larson from Rehkamp Larson Architects and Bob Warner of Warner’s Stellian. The event was hosted by O’Hara Interiors, Lelch Audio Visual, and Artful Living, and the panelists used their expertise to talk about expanding into new markets. With our two offices in Eden Prairie and Baxter, Matt was able to provide valuable insight into the conversation.
The second panel, hosted by Midwest Design, covered the state of the industry, team collaboration, and challenges. Matt sat alongside Dan Nepp from TEA2 Architects, Alana Wynne from ALL, Inc., and Ann Fritz from ESG Architecture & Design.
The quarter wrapped with breaking ground at our Deer Hill project. This project is an exciting new journey for us as we officially started construction on our first–ever Signature Home. Collaborating with Rehkamp Larson Architects and O’Hara Interiors, this project is a unique opportunity to own a fully custom Nor-Son home without going through the build process. Crafted with intention, our Signature Home is waiting for someone to call it their own. Learn more about the opportunity here.
Q3
Community support continued into the summer months. Team members Matt, Erin, and Nicole manned our sponsorship booth at the annual AIA Golf Event at Majestic Oaks Golf Course. Further, Ryan, Jeremy, Tim and Matt, participated in the Smiles for Jake golf fundraiser event at Gravel Pit golf course in Nisswa.
Peak summer was an exciting time as we co-hosted Artful Living’s Summer Launch party at our Lydiard Landing project. This renovation thoughtfully merges coastal California sensibility with historic Minnesota colonial architecture, offering a refined approach to preserving the past while embracing the present. It was a wonderful evening in a beautiful setting, and we loved showing industry friends and new connections our work. Read more about the event here.
We hosted our annual all-team summer event at a unique project of ours, Luxury Garage, that sits on the grounds of Brainerd International Raceway. Here we were able to watch the qualifying rounds for the NHRA National Championship. Our Baxter team also got together for an afternoon of mini golf to round–out the summer season.
Q4
We had the wonderful opportunity to host AIA-MN for a site tour at our Signature Home in Deer Hill. The event provided those in architecture or those currently studying architecture an opportunity to get hands-on experience touring a custom home during the build. Rehkamp Larson Architects, O’Hara Interiors, and Pella Northland helped host the event, and we had a great turnout regardless of the cold and rainy weather. Since the home had only been framed at this point, physical copies of the floor plans, drawings, and interior selections were on-site for attendees to take a look at as they toured and asked questions.
The events did not end there. In October, we co-hosted a pre-gala networking event at Birch’s on the Lake with Midwest Design. The event was a prelude to the Midwest Design Awards Gala, and attendees were able to get first access to gala tickets and network with others. Later this fall, Pat, Andy, Erin and Matt attended the Midwest Design Awards Gala! We were honored to be a Gold Sponsor of such a wonderful event and had a great time visiting with industry friends and seeing all of the beautiful projects that were submitted for awards.
Speaking of awards, we’re proud to say that we were chosen as the Gold Winner in the Interior Over $500,000 category at the NARI Remodeler of the Year Awards! We’re thrilled to receive this recognition and are so appreciative to the team who helped make the project successful. See more of the project here.
We’re incredibly thankful for everyone who helped make this year great and are looking forward to all that 2026 has to offer.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!