April 03, 2008 03:01 AM Eastern Time 

Be Jane, the #1 Home Site for Women, Appoints Homebuilder Industry Veteran Suzanne Horton as CEO and President

SANTA MONICA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Be Jane, Inc., the leading Internet brand that empowers women in the Do It Yourself (DIY) space, announced today that its Board of Directors unanimously selected Suzanne Horton as its new CEO and President. Ms. Horton will focus on expanding market opportunities while also promoting her vision of female empowerment in the world to position the company for multi-level growth.

Ms. Horton, a leading industry veteran and former custom homebuilder, brings a wealth of experience in the real estate, home and Internet industries, specifically serving in a senior executive capacity for a number of large corporations, including Fortune 500 companies. Most recently she served as President and CEO of Horton Associates, a leading-edge strategic consulting firm in the digital media, wireless and residential homebuilding industries. “Ms. Horton is a guiding strategic force in the industry with extensive experience on how to capture online market share in the Home category,” says Eric Elder, SVP Ryland Group. “She is one of the most talented and creative leaders in this space, and I fully expect Be Jane to rise above the competition in no time under her guidance.” Ms. Horton is largely well known for leading and orchestrating a public crisis turnaround at Homebuilder.com, the nation’s largest destination for new home listings and a division of Move.com (formerly Homestore).

Additionally, Ms. Horton spearheaded Homebuilder.com’s strategic business relationship with the National Association of Homebuilders and launched a key project to provide websites to more than 4,000 builders nationwide. Preceding Homebuilder.com, Ms. Horton was an instrumental leader on the Internet investment team at American Express, where she devised global strategies for a $32 million investment portfolio and facilitated the prioritization of $350 million in technology initiatives. Ms. Horton earned her MBA from the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University and studied abroad at the London Business School.

“I am thrilled to have found an organization with a platform in synch with my business and personal passions,” says Ms. Horton. “As single women own nearly 1 in 4 homes in this country, with women overall influencing 91% of all home purchasing decisions and initiating 80% of all home improvement projects, my goal is to transform the industry by creating a central social networking and e-commerce hub where women can connect with others for executional support in designing and implementing their dream home projects. Be Jane will become the fountainhead of inspiration and guidance for motivating women to share home project experiences in an empowering environment that supports women’s goals and causes.”

Ms. Horton intends to use her executive status to continue to support the fight for changes in female health legislation on Capitol Hill as an Advisor to actress Fran Drescher’s movement, Cancer Schmancer, while also supporting numerous other leading philanthropic organizations and firms that promote female empowerment in the world.

"We at the Cancer Schmancer Movement & Foundation are honored to have the philanthropic support from such a distinguished person as Suzanne Horton,” says Fran Drescher, President and Visionary of the Cancer Schmancer Movement. “I can think of no better choice than Ms. Horton to lead Be Jane in successfully identifying itself as a front-runner in women's issues. In my humble opinion, Suzanne Horton is the very definition of great corporate leadership.”

Since its inception in late 2003, co-founders Heidi Baker and Eden Jarrin have focused on implementing and promoting a Web site at which women feel comfortable networking and gaining valuable DIY information. With expansion as the natural next step, they decided it was critical to hire a leader who had both a strong strategic business acumen and an impeccable industry background, as well as a core belief in the importance of promoting the female voice.

“We weren’t sure we would be able to find someone who shared our enthusiasm for the strength of women and who was highly regarded in both the building industry and the Internet space. Fortunately, we found just that with Suzanne,” states Ms. Jarrin. Adds Ms. Baker, “Suzanne is the ultimate ‘Jane.’ Her strength in both the business world and the non-profit sector is incredibly encouraging and compassionate toward women. She will undoubtedly take Be Jane by storm and bring us to the next level, while inspiring many women along the way.”

About Be Jane, Inc.

With its initial focus on the booming $70 billion+ women’s home improvement market and the 55 million+ female homeowners ages 18-54, Be Jane has become a nationally recognized brand in the female home improvement space. Be Jane was created to help empower women in home improvement, remodeling and design. For a beginner who has never picked up a hammer, a weekend do-it-herselfer or a professional in the industry, BeJane.com offers a full range of home improvement articles, tips/tricks, videos, and how-to guides.