History of Skogman Companies

The history and tradition of Skogman Companies started in Sundsvall, Sweden when Nels J. Skogman, great-grandfather of current owners Chris, Kyle and Drew Skogman, helped build the city hall in Stockholm.

In 1903, Nels moved to Perry, New York and worked as a carpenter. His son, Erick, began working at the young age of 13-years-old delivering lumber by horse and wagon. Nels moved the family to Omaha, Nebraska in 1906 and the family stayed in Omaha until World War II.

Erick moved to Cedar Rapids in 1943 to remodel apartments for defense workers, and in 1945 his son, Roy, came to work for him.

In 1947, Skogman Homes was born and over the next 25 years, Skogman Homes would grow into one of the largest builders in Iowa. A reputation of excellent quality and great neighborhoods soon established Skogman as the builder providing the best home value in the Midwest. Skogman Homes has built over 12,000 homes across Iowa with over 10,000 of those being in the Greater Cedar Rapids Area.

In 1965, Skogman Carlson Insurance was created and welcomed Iowa residents and businesses in Cedar Rapids, Iowa City and beyond. A second office began servicing businesses and residents of Johnson County in 2009. The company’s success is attributed to its continual focus on building lasting relationships with its clients and by providing a level of personal service that is only available through an independent insurance agency.

Founded by Rick Skogman, Skogman Realty started in Cedar Rapids in 1973 and grew to include offices in the communities of Hiawatha, and Marion. The residential and commercial real estate company has since grown to become the largest locally owned real estate company in eastern Iowa with over 170 agents doing $780 million in sales volume and representing over 4,000 buyers/sellers annually. Skogman Realty currently participates in approximately 60% of all sales which occur in the market. Rick retired in 2008 passing the reins over to his son, Chris, who is currently the President.

In 2003, Skogman Homes made the decision to expand into Cedar Falls to offer its quality-built homes to families in the Waterloo/Cedar Falls area. Feeling at home in the Cedar Valley, Skogman opened its first development, Quail Ridge, in 2005. This 182-home neighborhood carried the same traditions and feel as Cedar Rapid’s Bowman Woods development. Based on the success of Quail Ridge, Skogman was awarded the “Quality of Life” award from the City of Cedar Falls and Cedar Falls Utilities in 2013. Today, Skogman has four neighborhoods in Cedar Falls and Waterloo, and has built over 500 homes.

In 2009, Skogman Realty expanded its presence in the eastern Iowa Corridor by opening an office in Coralville Iowa. Over 40 full-time agents now serve Coralville, Iowa City and North Liberty and other communities in Johnson County out of the Coralville office and produce over $175 million in annual sales volume.

In 2017, Skogman Companies acquired D&B Remodeling which started as a local father/son partnership focusing on helping Realtors prepare properties for sale. Today, with over 60 years of combined experience, D&B Remodeling offers full-service commercial and residential remodeling.

Today the Skogman Family attributes its success to the hundreds of past and present employees who have helped build Skogman Companies and each of its divisions into a highly regarded members of the Corridor’s business community.