About Us

Jim Minard is the founder of Lifestyle Companies. As a residential and commercial contractor, he brings to the custom design and building business 36 years of experience and dedication. His attention to detail is second to none.

Jim began home building in 1975, and with his knowledge and expertise in all phases of design and construction, founded Lifestyle Homes in 1978.

As the years progressed, Jim’s reputation as a fine custom builder, general contractor, and a fair businessman grew. He has built many beautiful homes that range in size from 5000 to 20,000 square feet through out northwest Indiana, including homes in Chesterton’s Sand Creek and Valparaiso’s Shorewood Forest. Jim, together with the Lifestyle Homes team of professionals, has successfully participated in several Northwest Indiana’s Builders Association Parade of Homes, where they won numerous awards.

In 1994 Jim added commercial real estate development and property management to his portfolio, and then also branched in to commercial construction. He is the proud general contractor of several Harley Davidson dealerships throughout Indiana, and was honored to be the general contractor for Schepel Hummer, Schepel Cadillac, Art Hill Mazda and most currently the remodeling of Schepel GMC.

Jim is a member in good standing of the National Home Builders and is a member and past President of the Porter County Home Builders Association. He is a graduate of the Graduate Builders Institute and is a Certified Green Builder, and regularly attends both national and state builder’s conventions.

Aimee Nannenga has been the executive assistant for Lifestyle Companies for 9 years. She takes care of the daily functions of the office and business as well as helping to keep customers, sub contractors and suppliers happy.