16 minute read
Event Highlights
2020
April 6 – 8, 2020 MGM Grand, Las Vegas
www.CongressAndExpo.com
EVENT HIGHLIGHTS • 12 Insightful Workshops • 30+ National Sponsors • 140+ Industry Exhibitors • 1,400+ Event Attendees
EXPO HALL HOURS Monday, April 6 • 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM Tuesday, April 7 • 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM Wednesday, April 8 • 8:00 AM – 10:45 AM
REGISTRATION STILL AVAILABLE There’s still time to register! The regular rate expires on April 1st. Avoid the lines and save $100 on your event registration by pre-registering.
SAVE $100 Regular Rate Expires April 1st
OPENING SESSION – GROWING THE MARKET TUESDAY, APRIL 7, 2020 • 9:00 AM – 10:15 AM
Presented by: Bill Boor, President & CEO, CAVCO Kevin Clayton, CEO, Clayton Mark Yost, President & CEO, Skyline Champion After nine consecutive years of production and shipment growth, the manufactured housing industry has leveled off. These manufacturing leaders will discuss their strategies on growing the market, including expanding existing and developing new communities. They’ll also share how CrossMod™ homes are beginning to penetrate new markets that have previously restricted manufactured homes and the opportunity CrossMod homes represent for the industry to expand beyond 10% of the single-family housing market.
ENHANCE YOUR TIME AT CONGRESS & EXPO – ADD ON EVENTS YOU WON’T WANT TO MISS
16TH ANNUAL OLIVER TECHNOLOGIES GOLF OPEN SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Enhance Congress & Expo by networking with industry stakeholders at TPC Las Vegas at the 16th Annual Oliver Technologies Golf Open! With a valued tradition of fostering business opportunities amid PGA-tour quality conditions, this tournament supports MHI’s advocacy on behalf of manufactured and modular housing. Golfers of all skill levels will bond over the thrill of testing shot-making skills where champions play. All-inclusive registration fee includes round-trip shuttle from the MGM Grand, green and cart fees, warm-up balls, box lunches, beverages, cash prizes, gifts, and more.
4TH ANNUAL HART KING/LUTZ, BOBO & TELFAIR CLAY SHOOT SUNDAY, APRIL 5 Strengthen business opportunities during Congress & Expo with an exceptional morning of sporting clays at the Clark County Shooting Complex. Industry leaders will revel in Nevada’s 5-Star outdoor shooting facility while building camaraderie at this popular event that benefits our industry’s advocacy. Allinclusive registration fee includes round-trip shuttle from the MGM Grand, breakfast, range safety supervision, 100 shotgun shells and clay targets per person, shotgun rental, safety gear, and carts. Experience the fun of sporting clays while supporting a worthy cause and increasing your business contacts!
NATIONAL COMMUNITIES COUNCIL (NCC) SPRING FORUM MONDAY, APRIL 6 The NCC Spring Forum is a day-long event exploring trends and practices of manufactured home community owners and operators. The forum delivers a unique learning opportunity to discuss issues including market trends & acquisitions and research findings. It also shows best practices for owners and operators and provides excellent opportunities for professional networking. If you’re involved with manufactured home communities whether as an owner/ operator, service provider, lender, or consultant, this event is for you!
DEVELOPING WITH MANUFACTURED HOUSING SEMINAR MONDAY, APRIL 6 The Developer Seminar educates and provides industry knowledge for builders and developers looking to utilize factory built housing to save time and money and to provide innovative, affordable, options to homebuyers. This day-long seminar delivers a unique opportunity to explore a wide spectrum of topics that includes site selection, pro forma, due diligence, and finance. Attendees are supplied with workbooks and are given the opportunity to “Meet the Manufacturers”, and participate in a “Shark Tank” panel.
Registration for all add on events for new Congress & Expo registrants is available online at http://www.congressandexpo.com/register/.
A NEW ERA NATIONAL ADVOCACY
FOR MANUFACTURED HOUSING
by Patrick Revere
TThe last decade has been one of changes and challenges for the manufactured housing industry. Through it, the Manufactured Housing Institute has worked tirelessly in Washington to reduce regulatory barriers and change perceptions
that limit access to affordable, factory-built homes.
MHI has been successful in leading change that results in industry growth. »
There is a long list of legislative and regulatory accomplishments. MHI does its work partly through expanded offerings that include a diverse selection of resources for industry professionals. Members can make connections in the industry, stay current on new rules and procedures, expand their geographical influence, and generally create a better foundation for business success.
The advocacy group has grown into a full-service trade association representing every segment of the manufactured housing industry. Much of that growth happened under the watch of former MHI President and CEO Dick Jennison, who retired at the end of 2019.
A search committee was assembled to vet and interview potential candidates. It was nearly a year-long process. The committee met with several well-qualified candidates. When the dust settled, the board convened a special meeting to amend the association’s bylaws and install a new leadership structure at MHI. Now, two of MHI’s top-ranking executives have stepped in to take the torch and lead the industry going forward.
MHI 2.0
In November, MHI announced Executive Vice Presidents Dr. Lesli Gooch and Mark Bowersox would be appointed to succeed Jennison as CEO and president, respectively.
“We’re calling it MHI 2.0,” said MHI Board Chairman Tom Hodges. “Lesli and Mark are highly qualified and passionate about MHI’s mission to elevate manufactured housing. The combination of their skillsets complement the objectives of our association and we look forward to seeing the impact we know they will have as they work together to advance manufactured housing.”
That pairing should excite manufactured housing professionals who know Gooch and Bowersox — and who understand just how effective they’ve been working on behalf of the industry.
Lesli Gooch: The Advocate
Gooch, a long-time staffer on Capitol Hill and former candidate for Congress, joined MHI in 2015, bringing with her a wealth of advocacy knowledge and experience.
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During her time on the Hill, Gooch served as the senior policy director for Congressman Gary Miller, the vice chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. Miller, a homebuilder and developer, championed access to affordable homeownership opportunities, including through manufactured housing.
“I have dedicated my career to the affordable housing mission, especially homeownership. Manufactured housing offers the most viable -- and disruptive -- solution to filling the gap in the production of affordable homeownership options,” Gooch said. “Our industry is proof that quality and affordability are not mutually exclusive when you build smart and constantly innovate. Manufactured housing is the great disruptor and it’s an honor to fight for a better environment for our industry and for homebuyers to thrive. I’m a true believer.”
That passion has translated into some remarkable results for the industry. Gooch has been behind some of MHI’s most impactful, landmark accomplishments.
For the last two years, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson has delivered the keynote address at MHI’s annual Congress and Expo. It’s evidence of the work going on behind the scenes. Gooch and her team have established an excellent working relationship with members of Congress and the administration to help advance the priorities and concerns of the industry.
“Policy change does not happen overnight,” Gooch said. “I’ve spent 20 years in Washington, D.C., working within the housing policy community… if there is one thing I have learned it is the value of maintaining relationships. Quality, productive connections open up a fast lane for getting things done here in Washington. It’s incredibly important to achieving the goals of the industry.”
And you can see those relationships at work. In June 2019, HUD announced its first annual Innovative Housing Showcase. Gooch leveraged her relationships with HUD and worked diligently to have three fully furnished HUD-code homes on the National Mall.
“Our industry shows well,” Gooch said. “Every segment of the industry stepped up in support of this effort and it would not have been possible without the commitment and hard work of our members.
“It was an excellent opportunity to show people who normally are not
–Dr. Lesli Gooch
exposed to manufactured homes, many of whom were policymakers and homebuyers. The high quality and design of the homes we build, it changes minds and perceptions,” she said. “That is so important to
achieving our goals on behalf of the industry and it simply could not have been done without the significant time, money, and resources our members offered to help elevate manufactured housing on the nation’s front lawn.”
White House Convenes Housing Committee
Shortly after the showcase, manufactured housing was included in an executive order to establish a White House council of administration officials charged with eliminating regulatory barriers to affordable housing. Led by Secretary Carson, the council works to address policies that impede the production of affordable housing at all levels of government. Gooch believes this should pave the way for expediting changes to the HUD code and creating a streamlined path for updates going forward. In addition, it opens up the conversation on undue scrutiny leveled at manufactured housing in zoning. »
“The conversation should start with our industry and its commitment to quality and affordability,” Gooch said. “People are looking for high-quality homes, innovatively and efficiently built, that can help navigate this shortage of affordable housing. They’re beginning to see that the answer has been here the whole time in manufactured housing,” she said. “Our champions in Congress are talking about manufactured housing with the administration and it’s creating more opportunity. Those opportunities would not be available without the quality and innovation of our industry.”
Still, Gooch says there is a lot of room to grow the market and plenty to accomplish for MHI.
It’s been a decade since HUD last published a comprehensive update to the code that guides an evolving and growing industry. That, along with FHA Title I and II updates, as well as elevating the Office of Manufactured Housing Programs and a number of other HUD reforms, MHI 2.0 will
have its hands full in 2020. But its priorities are certain to make up a great deal of the equations that will grow the market.
“Everyone is extremely optimistic,” Gooch said. “We are looking ahead and the future looks very bright for our industry.”
–Mark Bowersox
Mark Bowersox: The Connection
Leading MHI’s industry relations efforts since 2015, Bowersox has been a stellar ambassador for the association and for the industry. During his time at MHI, membership has gone from less than 300 members to better than 900. Event attendance also has increased, up more than 50% during his tenure.
“Staying connected with and understanding the needs of our members is a major priority for our team,” Bowersox said. “We want each member to have a personal connection and unique experience with MHI. It’s all about relationships.”
Ask Bowersox and he’ll tell you his favorite days on the job are those spent with members. From networking that creates vital connections for manufactured housing to thought leadership around the industry, and the events that provide the most important opportunities for members to connect and drive the industry forward. Facilitating that, Bowersox said, has a massive impact on the industry and the overall value for members.
Real-Time, Ground-Level Organizer
Before bringing his talents to MHI, Bowersox served as the executive director of the Indiana Manufactured Housing Association — Recreation Vehicle Indiana Council where he led all aspects of the organization.
The experience was foundational for Bowersox.
His knowledge base was built from the ground up with first-hand experience in zoning, titling, installation, and other common yet challenging issues. “Working within the industry in a situation that requires many hats is incredibly valuable,” Bowersox said. “When our members contact MHI, they want to know they’re talking to someone who understands, from the beginning of the conversation, the industry’s challenges and needs, and how we can help them.”
Bowersox also has worked with his team to develop new training programs for community managers, salespeople, and installers, all of which have migrated to an online learning platforms that create a broad-reaching, user-friendly experience for MHI members.
“Manufactured housing is a unique industry,” said Bowersox. “Outside the HUD code, there’s really not a ‘one-size-fits-all’ category for our »
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organization. We’ve customized our educational offerings to provide the most effective teaching and training that perfectly fits the needs of our membership. It’s about creating the right conditions for industry success, and a higher quality product for homeowners.”
With the new leadership in place, MHI will focus on unifying membership behind the banner of market growth.
“We need to speak with one voice as an industry,” Bowersox said. “There is a lot of strength in our numbers, especially when we come together to achieve the common goal of growing the industry by providing homebuyers with the best possible product and service at a great price.”
MHI 2.0: The Future
The leadership combination resonates as a strong endorsement from the MHI Board of Directors in regard to organizational direction.
Both Bowersox and Gooch bring very well tailored background and experience that has helped carve the path to a brighter future for the association and the industry. Now, MHI moves forward with a dynamic dual watch created by the combined effort that has industry, member, and industry customer in mind.
“We’re ready,” Gooch said. “We work so well together and have shared so many wins for the industry, it feels less like a big change and a continuation of mission we’ve always worked toward — elevating the manufactured housing industry. We have the momentum to make a difference and the plan to get it done.” While MHI 2.0 takes shape, there are plenty of irons in the fire to keep that momentum. In late 2019, MHI announced CrossMod would be the trademarked name for what has been referred to as the “new class of home”. CrossMod is a certified mark MHI members will use to let homebuyers know they’re purchasing a quality HUD-code manufactured home that conforms with the requirements for conventional financing laid out by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. It also can be appraised using comparable site-built homes, which has the po
This new category of
home is built to the
HUD code and also is
nearly indiscernible
from site-built homes,
other than the price tag.
tential to take manufactured housing to communities that previously may have zoned them out.
“CrossMod is a big deal for manufactured housing,” Bowersox said. “It’s not a replacement for factory-built housing as we’ve known it. This new category of home is built to the HUD code and also is nearly indiscernible from site-built homes, other than the price tag. It also addresses a gap in affordability experienced across the country. There are people actively looking for quality homes under $250,000 who aren’t being served. CrossMod has the potential to be a game-changer for that market.”
New Product to Challenge Exclusionary Zoning
Exclusionary zoning practices continue to be the primary point of contention when it comes to bringing factory-built housing to the metro areas that need attainable and affordable homes.
Gooch and her team work with HUD and the administration to influence state and local regulators who have yet to consider manufactured housing. The team also focuses on expertly telling the story of manufactured homes, from the value manufactured housing brings to the people who build them and to the people who buy and live in the homes our industry builds.
“We feel very good about the direction things are headed,” Gooch said. “Our state association members and partners do phenomenal work fighting for the industry. Together, we are making progress. And supporting their efforts is among our team’s highest priorities.
“For the first time, our industry has taken center stage in the affordable housing discussion,” Gooch said. “There’s a growing appreciation not only for the attainability of factory-built housing, but the quality and efficiency with which they are built. That’s a good indicator of even more opportunity on the horizon.”
With Gooch and Bowersox at the helm, MHI’s team has the pieces in place to make a significant impact on the industry and in Washington. “We entered the year in midsprint,” Bowersox said. “We have a phenomenal opportunity here to lay the groundwork for our members and the industry, and now we get to work.” “T hat’s what we do best,” Gooch said. MHV
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