Paige Hemmis (www.paigehemmis.com) may be an unlikely vision on a construction site. However the statuesque beauty is an accomplished carpenter, skilled homebuilder and successful businesswoman. She is self-taught, with no formal carpentry training, and is rarely to be found without a tool of some kind in her purse. This dynamic and confident Wisconsin-born entrepreneur honed her skills as co-founder of Rent to Own Investments, a private company that renovates homes and develops rent-to-own solutions for first-time homebuyers. As founder and president of Tuff Chix, Inc., she is dedicated to providing work wear for women that is durable and fashionable. Tuff Chix is inspired by Hemmis’ hard work and determination.

Hemmis grew up in Chatsworth, California, with aspirations ranging from teacher to doctor to world traveler to wedding planner to homebuilder. During college she taught first aid and CPR to the University of California Santa Barbara student population, became a licensed Emergency Medical Technician and pursued a medical internship in Virginia, after graduating with her Theology and Psychology degrees from UCSB. Realizing the medical profession wasntt for her, she accepted an International Sales position for Iwerks Entertainment and moved to Hong Kong.

Imbued with an entrepreneurial spirit, Hemmis pursued substitute teaching while developing contacts in the wedding industry. She launched Simply Elegant Weddings in 2001 and the natural progression of helping couples led to helping families secure their first homes. Without deep pockets, she used her tenacity and resourcefulness to learn all aspects of construction, including drywall, cabinetry, electrical and plumbing. She auditioned for “Monster House” to win tools so she could fix more homes, and appeared on its Christmas episode, where she was discovered by the producers of “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.” When producers invited her to audition, Hemmis’ response was “what do I win?”

Hemmis considers her role on “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition” a blessing and feels extremely fortunate to make her living helping others. In between extreme makeovers, she lends her time and celebrity as a spokesperson for Habitat for Humanity. She will continue her mission of giving through her Tuff Chix Company, dedicating a portion of proceeds to support Habitat’s efforts around the world. Tuff Chix debuts in December 2006 with the release of “The Tuff Chix Guide to Easy Home Improvement” (Plume/Penguin), and now offers pink work gloves, boots and tool belts – all of which are available at www.tuffchix.com.

Hemmis’ personal passions include traveling, dining out, hiking, rock climbing and racing (an inherited passion from her drag racer father.) She participated in the Toyota Pro Celebrity Race in 2005 and plans to pursue the sport professionally.