Eric Wivagg ’01 cherishes the liberal arts education he received at Southwestern. Although initially attracted to the University’s architecture courses, his adviser, Thomas Howe, professor of art history, persuaded Wivagg to broaden his focus. Wivagg chose to major in communication studies and feels that his education prepared him for his latest challenge, designing a house for an episode of ABC’s “Extreme Makeover: Home Edition,” which aired Jan. 29, 2006.

Wivagg believes that the key to creating a home that will satisfy clients’ needs as well as their personal styles comes from open communication. “Nearly 70 percent of what I do involves communicating with other people. I want to design homes that are based on what people really need,” he says.

Stylecraft, Wivagg’s firm, and the “Extreme Makeover” design team watched a videotape of the family chosen for the show to assess their needs and to get a feel for the kind of house that they would enjoy. Wivagg took on the additional challenge of incorporating space in which the family could run their animal rescue organization.

The “Extreme Makeover” house was build in Washington, Texas, and is the first house build for the show in the Lone Star State. Because of the fast-paced nature of the show, success required the hard work and dedication of hundreds of volunteers and the greater Washington community. “We created this home in 100 hours; usually, we have 100 days. People were working 20-30 hours at time. Everyone gave 100 percent of their effort and was so dedicated to the project,” Wivagg says.

When asked what he learned most from working on the project, Wivagg shares, “No matter where you live or whom you work for, you can be an industry leader if you strive to be the best.”