Manufactured home production increased modestly in June 2024, per data provided by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), which in turn bases that on the official information collected on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). That information is found in Part I of this report with the primary news analysis segment provided later in Part IV which will deal with MHVille and other leaders who have apparently “failed up.” The only manufactured home linked stock that didn’t slide yesterday is on the Canadian-based Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX), which is featured in Part V. Insights on Democratic Party presidential candidate nominee Kamala Harris’ curious, albeit justified, embrace of Bidenomics and related are found in Parts II and III. That broader market meltdown is estimated to have eliminated some $2 trillion dollars in equity in yesterday’s trading. Insights into the relevant history of Tammany and patronage are also found below.

Let’s briefly note that in Monday’s pre-dawn published report, it mentioned that Asian and other markets were shaken. That insight proved to be true of U.S. equities markets as Part V’s look into macro and manufactured housing linked equities makes clear. In Part V, among the headlines from left-leaning CNN said: “Kamala Harris’ economic pitch just got a lot more complicated.” Really?

Part I

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                    Contact: MHARR

                                                                                                                            (202) 783-4087

MANUFACTURED HOUSING PRODUCTION AND

SHIPMENTS GROW IN JUNE 2024

Washington, D.C., August 5, 2024 – The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) reports that according to official statistics compiled on behalf of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), HUD Code manufactured housing industry year-over-year production increased once again in June 2024. Just-released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 8,509 new homes in June 2024, a 4.1% increase over the 8,169 new HUD Code homes produced in June 2023. Cumulative production for 2024 now totals 51,165 homes, a 16.5% increase over the 43,888 HUD Code homes produced over the same period in 2023.

A further analysis of the official industry statistics shows that the top ten shipment states from January 2023 — with monthly, cumulative, current reporting year (2024) and prior year (2023) shipments per category as indicated — are:

The June 2024 statistics move North Carolina into third place on the cumulative top-ten shipment state list, while Alabama drops slightly to fourth place.

The Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform is a Washington, D.C.- based national trade association representing the views and interests of independent producers of federally-regulated manufactured housing.

— 30 —

Part II – From the WND News Center to MHProNews is the following report

WND

Kamala Harris: ‘That is called Bidenomics. And we are very proud of Bidenomics’

Dems’ economic practices converge for huge stock market flop

By Bob Unruh | August 5, 2024

It apparently was triggered by a horrific jobs report just days ago under the economic practices being used by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris in America.

Now the stock market is turning into a huge flop, and analysts are expressing concerns that there is a recession on the horizon – possibly even a depression.

American stocks were down by significant margins, sometimes up to 10% for Apple, for example, as the markets across the United States reacted to huge collapses in foreign stock markets overnight.

Market commentator Stuart Varney said the selloff involves several factors, including a housing market in trouble – the high interest rates under Biden’s economy have cut many people out of the market entirely. And a growing economic slowdown. And inflation. And more.

“The consumer looks to be tapped out. Friday’s very weak jobs report convinced investors that the slowdown is real,” Varney’s report on Fox explained. “It didn’t help when Warren Buffett revealed he’d sold about half his stake in Apple, and that he had been a net seller of stocks for several quarters.”

Then there’s also the war campaigns around the world that have exploded under Biden’s leadership in America. And there’s politics and the election.

American measurements, the DOW Jones Industrial averages, NASDAQ, and S&P all were off between 2% and 3% on Monday.

Republicans wasted no time in highlighting that Biden and Harris have been making the nation’s economic decisions of late, including spending packages of trillions of dollars.

“Bidenomics. Ha ha ha ha! That is called Bidenomics — and we are very proud of Bidenomics!”

— Kamala Harris#KamalaCrash pic.twitter.com/JwXWeePr1m

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 5, 2024

On video, Harris she explains, “Bidenomics. Ha ha ha ha! That is called Bidenomics and we are very proud of Bidenomics!”

President Donald Trump, the GOP nominee for the White House this year, said, “Of course there is a massive market downturn. Kamala is even worse than Crooked Joe. Markets will NEVER accept the Radical Left Lunatic that DESTROYED San Francisco and California, as a whole. Next move, THE GREAT DEPRESSION OF 2024! You can’t play games with MARKETS. KAMALA CRASH!!!”

A report at the Gateway Pundit said it was Harris’ words from only a year ago that are haunting her now.

“Biden and Harris have overseen soaring levels of inflation that have depleted ordinary Americans’ savings and made everything more expensive since seizing power more than three years ago,” the report said. “All of Wall Street’s main indexes crashed Monday morning, with both the Dow Jones plunging and the Nasdaq Composite cratering, plunging more than 1,000 points after the Opening Bell. This news follows last week’s disastrous jobs report, which showed a paltry 114,000 jobs were created and the unemployment rate rising to a three-year high.”

Earlier, markets in Japan, South Korea and Taiwan took nosedives.

The report noted Harris’s boasts about Bidenomics were from only one year ago.

“We have never been down 1,000+ points — EVER, not even intraday — on the Nasdaq.”#KAMALACRASH pic.twitter.com/iCXN83vOkQ

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) August 5, 2024

‘It’s nuts!’ Charles Payne of Fox Business unloads on Biden-Harris economic policies as market tanks

##

Part III From the WND News Center to MHProNews is the following report

WND

WATCH Biden brag: ‘I cured the economy.’ Then world suffers financial wipeout

Estimated $2 trillion vaporized after session of boasting

By Bob Unruh | August 5, 2024

Joe Biden has been known to brag, to boast, to claim he’s done things that just haven’t happened.

Closing the border? He’s claimed that’s a done deal, yet it’s anything but.

Now Biden has unleashed a real doozy.

He said he’s “cured” the economy.

This claim came not even a week before a global financial meltdown heading into the weekend and continuing Monday essentially vaporized some $2 TRILLION.

REPORTER: “What do you want your legacy for Gen Z to be?”

BIDEN: “That I cured the economy. And the environment. And a few other small things.”

(His “legacy” will be his obvious cognitive decline — which Kamala covered up. Scandal of the century!) pic.twitter.com/SMsXKVfljw

— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 30, 2024

It was, in fact, only days ago a reporter asked Biden, “What do you want your legacy for Gen Z to be?”

Biden’s claim: “That I cured the economy. And the environment. And a few other small things.”

The RNC Research team that posted the video said, “(His ‘legacy’ will be his obvious cognitive decline – which Kamala covered up. Scandal of the century!”)

A commenter responded, “His legacy will be as a traitor to this country when it’s all said and done.”

And another, “He needs to cure his dementia.”

The Gateway Pundit said Japan’s Nikkei lost 4,451 points on Monday, its biggest single day loss since 1987.

And, “The DOW tumbled more than 1,000 points on Monday.”

The Western Journal in a commentary said, “Sometimes events prove overwhelming, and otherwise capable presidents suffer unfairly at the hands of posterity. At other times, however, a lying swindler of a politician finds himself on the precipice of well-deserved infamy.”

It continued, “For those watching in trepidation as global markets have plummeted on Monday, President Joe Biden’s comments on the state of the economy as recently as six days ago should serve as a reminder that the calamitous 46th president belongs in latter category.”

Biden’s comments were only last Tuesday following a trip to Texas.

President Donald Trump said, “STOCK MARKETS ARE CRASHING, JOBS NUMBERS ARE TERRIBLE, WE ARE HEADING TO WORLD WAR III, AND WE HAVE TWO OF THE MOST INCOMPETENT ‘LEADERS’ IN HISTORY. THIS IS NOT GOOD!!!” ##

Part IV – Additional Information with More MHProNews Analysis and Commentary

As is typical for the analysis portion of our reports, the headline and related items will all be addressed, but not necessarily in the order shown in the headline.

1) According to left-leaning Wikipedia on Tammany Hall and political patronage: “Tammany usually controlled Democratic nominations and political patronage in Manhattan for over 100 years following the mayoral victory of Fernando Wood in 1854, and used its patronage resources to build a loyal, well-rewarded core of district and precinct leaders…” Quizlet explains it this way: “Tammany Hall was powerful New York political organization. It drew support from immigrants. The immigrants relied on Tammany Hall patronage, particularly for social services. In return, they asked for ppl’s [i.e.: people’s] votes on election day.”

On 7.2.2024 The Free Speech Center said: “Political patronage is the appointment or hiring of a person to a government post on the basis of partisan loyalty.” GoodParty.org explains patronage:

Definition and meaning of patronage: Patronage in politics refers to the practice of rewarding loyal supporters of a political party or candidate with government jobs, appointments, contracts, or other favors. While patronage can sometimes be seen as a way to ensure that competent, trustworthy individuals come to occupy positions of power, it can often lead to nepotism, cronyism, and corruption.

Patronage differs from merit-based systems, where appointments and promotions are based on skills, experience, and performance. The patronage system can undermine the principles of fair play and equal opportunity by creating an environment where public positions are seen as rewards for political support rather than as responsibilities to serve the public.

History.com says:  “Tammany Hall was a New York City political organization that endured for nearly two centuries. Formed in 1789…” While some claim that the power of Tammany Hall ended, perhaps a more precise way to describe the matter is to say that the patronage with power system metastasized and spread, but the label of “Tammany” was dropped. The New Encyclopedia states: “Tammany Hall was the Democratic Party political machine that played a major role in controlling New York City politics from the 1790s to the 1960s.”  The Free Speech Center said on 7.2.2024: “Political patronage still exists at all levels of government today but is much less prevalent than in previous eras,” but the less prevalent aspect of that statement is disputable. Left-leaning NPR, for instance said on June 16, 2014 said of the Chicago Democratic patronage system: “Shakman says the patronage system continued to flourish even after federal consent decrees bearing his name ordered systemic changes.”

MHProNews has mentioned the issue of Tammany Hall in U.S. politics on several occasions, because it is insightful and thus relevant to the modern era. The more that the public becomes aware of Tammany-style patronage and corruption in government at the local, state, or federal level (to be applied “if the shoe fits…”), the easier it is to grasp the way that several pieces of legislation are crafted and how they can reward favored constituencies. Among the problems of patronage, cronyism and the related corruption that can occur is that taxpayer money is wasted and special interests are essentially in control. When special interests control something in government than the power or influence of government can be used to influence or pick economic “winners and losers.”

2) The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said this about failing up:  “What is failing upward? Traditionally, failing upward is the idea that someone succeeds in their career despite being mediocre at their job. A subpar employee may get a promotion, pay raise, or recognition at work that isn’t necessarily earned.” (Jan 8, 2024).

3) Frontiers explains that: “According to the available literature, organizational cronyism is considered a workplace stressor; therefore, it harms employees’ positive attitudes and behaviors such as job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and organizational citizenship behavior.”

4) A study commissioned by the National Institute of Health (NIH) dated 11.12.2022 entitled:

Toxic Leadership and Project Success: Underpinning the Role of Cronyism

per the abstract said the following.

Project success is the backbone of competitiveness and sustainability.

1. Introduction

The project failure rates are constantly increasing [1]. …

However, in general, the inappropriate leadership style, i.e., toxic leadership, is responsible for misappropriations and failures [10]. It is dysfunctional leadership behavior [11] that negatively affects the subordinate’s attitudes and behaviors and brings negativity into the workplace [12], resulting in overall poor performance [6]. Ali et al. [13] and Lipman-Blumen [14] argued that toxic leadership had become a standard part of organizational functioning. Kusy and Holloway [15] found that 64% of respondents suffered from and survived under toxic leaders. In addition, 94% reported having worked under a toxic person at some point in their careers [16]. Bell [17] also said corporate failures due to toxic leaders in action. It is also noted that one leader toxic out of every five leaders [18]. Toxic leaders are seen to negatively affect their immediate subordinates and the organization as a whole [10]. Moreover, they are involved in corruption and cronyism and support the inadequacy of others [19], having harmful effects on projects.

Cronyism, as a problem, is associated with toxic leadership. It is the use of malpractices to distribute resources and recruit inappropriate people. Cronyism, as a source of stress for employees (who are not a part of the in-group), affects their performance negatively [20].

5) Cronyism and patronage are harmful in a workplace, per research and sources like those noted above (Part IV #2, #3, #4). Merit is the apparent ideal for a working environment.

Merit is also the ideal for U.S. immigration policies too. While it may apparently be an exaggeration to say that every illegal immigrant is a terrorist, drug dealer, ex-convict, gang member, rapist, etc. it is certainly true that some illegal immigrants demonstrably fall into such categories.  The traditional way of handling immigration is for people to apply before they come to the U.S. They have to be accepted based on certain conditions, including an ability to support themselves or have familial or other demonstrable support. Those with mental or other health issues, criminal backgrounds, and the like – at least traditionally – were routinely excluded.

6) With the above notions in mind, let’s look at manufactured housing industry performance since the late 1990s before looking at what cronyism, patronage, and ‘failing up’ means in manufactured housing. In a more detailed report linked here are the following facts.

So, in the six years from 1996 to 2000 the total production was 2,033,545 new HUD Code manufactured homes.

That means that the 6-year average for new U.S. HUD Code manufactured home production from 1996 to 2000 was 338,924.167 units per year of all sizes.

7) In the 23 years from 2001 to 2023 the total production was 2,230,400. That is an average of 96,973.91 throughout the fully completed years of 21st century.  The current pace of U.S. HUD Code production year to date (YTD) for 2024 is similar to 2021. Per MHARR: “Just-released statistics indicate that HUD Code manufacturers produced 8,509 new homes in June 2024, a 4.1% increase over the 8,169 new HUD Code homes produced in June 2023. Cumulative production for 2024 now totals 51,165 homes, a 16.5% increase over the 43,888 HUD Code homes produced over the same period in 2023.” But what that means is that the pace of production growth slowed in June (4.1% growth vs. a 6-month average increase of 16.5%). It is entirely possible that new manufactured home production will finish around or even under 100,000 new homes.

8) From 2007 to 2023 the total U.S. production of HUD Code manufactured housing were only 1,345,974 total single and multi-sectional manufactured homes.  The 17-year average from 2007-2023 is thus: 79,174.94 total new manufactured homes of all sizes per year.

9) Let’s sum those up that national HUD Code production data for convenience and illustration purposes.

• from 1996-2000 witnessed a total of 2,033,545 new manufactured homes produced in the U.S. That 6-year average for new manufactured home production from 1996 to 2000 was 338,924.167 annually.
• In the 23 years from 2001 to 2023 the total new manufactured home production was 2,230,400. That is an average of 96,973.91 throughout the completed years of 21st century.
• 2007 to 2023 the total production of manufactured homes was only 1,345,974.  During those 17-years the average production per year 79,174.94 for the most recent years of the 21st century.

10) Comparing the last 17 years to the last 6 years of the 20th century, new manufactured home production is only about 23.36% of its previous total.

11) Left-leaning Google’s AI powered Gemini said that the U.S. population in 2000 was 281,421,906 and “As of January 1, 2023, the U.S. population was 334,233,854.” So, the population has grown by a factor of about 1.187. If HUD Code manufactured home production had only kept pace with population growth since 2000, it would have stood at about 402,506 new homes in 2023.

12) MHProNews could put this same test to the leaders of several corporations and state associations, but let’s instead focus for a few moments on the CEO of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI). Lesli Gooch has been hailed by industry insiders who hold sway at MHI. God knows what strings were pulled to get Gooch recognized by HousingWire as being a person of influence for the supposed benefit of manufactured housing, or are all HousingWire Women of Influence as seemingly incapable or corrupt as Gooch is?

13) In what universe can an industry’s largest trade group hail as a success someone for doing 23.36% of the performance of MHI’s leaders in the mid-to-late 1990s-to 2000 and they be considered a success worthy of honor?

Apparently, in the ‘universe’ of MHVille. This despite the fact that there is ample evidence that MHI leaders hired Gooch after a rather easily documented history of problematic behaviors and outcomes. What exactly did MHI’s search committee and board think that they were getting in Gooch?

14) Duke University says: that the concept of “Occam’s razor…tells us that the simplest, most elegant explanation is usually the one closest to the truth.”  The facts are that manufactured housing is performing at a stunningly low level compared to the late 20th century. Based on actual totals, the industry only produced 23.36% in the last 17 years what it did in the last 6 years of the 20th century. Had manufactured housing grown only enough to keep pace with population, we noted that the production would have been some 402,506 in 2023. That means that the industry, adjusted for population growth, is only achieving about 17.98 of its historic potential.

15) What explains the acceptance of such poor industry performance by MHI’s board of directors? The simplest explanation appears to be the obvious one. Some key corporate interests in manufactured housing like and desire the status quo for now. It is not only the obvious thing, but also the clearly stated reasoning offered by ELS, among others. That makes Gooch the poster child, the virtual face of cronyism and corruption in manufactured housing. With that in mind, flash back to the report linked here and above and recall this statement by a third-party that sounded the alarm about Gooch before she got involved in manufactured housing. See the full TimeToast Timeline expose of Gooch linked here and the related report linked here. Gooch lost badly. Understandably so, right? So, why did MHI’s search committee hire Gooch in the first place? Apparently, they had an understanding on what they were getting and what type of person might deliver a performance of posturing working for all segments of the industry, when the actual goal is as stated by prominent Equity LifeStyle Communities (ELS) to their investors, as shown here in greater detail and in the pull quotes from ELS shown below.

Per ELS on page 20 of their investor pitch.

Supply Constrained Asset Class

There has been limited MH development in the U.S. in the past 20 years
Growing demand coupled with almost no new supply is a strategic advantage for ELS

Reasons for the Supply Constraint

• NIMBY (Not in my backyard)
• Restricted zoning & regulations
• Federal planning vs local planning

To see the slide below in a larger size, depending on your device, click the image and follow the prompts, or click the image linked here. Recall that Sun Communities and Flagship Communities, among others at MHI, have said similarly.

16) To be objective, some attorneys and witnesses could potentially be called ELS to make the above sound benign or innocent.

But on its face, ELS is bragging to their investors that NIMBYism and a lack of development somehow benefits their investment thesis. That’s a pretty sickening thesis, isn’t it? What sort of gross minds came up with the idea that you tell the world, and your smaller association members, that you want to help ‘grow’ all segments of the industry and your business by being a member, when the board members in several cases have obviously picked someone like Gooch with a troubling history both before and since she got into manufactured housing and they made her the MHI CEO?

This isn’t speculation. These are facts supported by corporate-produced evidence. This is a therefore a stronger argument than Occam’s Razor.

That’s why AI powered Copilot and Gemini have both essentially looked at such evidence and ripped the industry’s leaders.

17) MHProNews is getting an increased pace of inquiries from various parties that consider themselves harmed by MHI and/or MHI members, or those linked to an MHI state association. Traffic in August is up sharply, month-to-date. Inquiring minds want to know. Cavco’s Bill Boor was politely, yet pointedly, asked by analyst Greg Palm about 15 months ago why is the industry performing so poorly? The details shown here and in linked reports is the most honest answer to Palm’s question.

18) There are things that companies with deeper pockets can do to bury or obscure search results online. Nevertheless, MHProNews’ traffic has not only remained steady, apparently dominant, and strong, but has grown year-over-year. More on that in a planned report, perhaps later this week.

19) The scandals in manufactured housing, as vexing as they are, may not be much compared to the far greater scandals occurring in Washington, D.C. and in other places around the country. Corruption, cronyism, patronage, are taking their toll on U.S. society.  While the betting odds at this moment favor Trump-Vance (R), there is no guarantee that Kamala Harris (D) won’t emerge as the selected winner of the 2024 election. Democratic Party insider have nullified the votes of over 14 million in the 2023-2024 Democratic presidential primary season who cast a ballot for Joe Biden (D). One can argue about the wisdom of that vote, but that was what the democratic process produced. Only, millions of Democratic and Dem leaning voters were shocked when the Biden-Trump debate occurred to see just how problematic Biden’s capabilities are. Kamala Harris was part of that coverup of reality. Why? Because a case can be made that Harris, and for that matter, Biden himself, are part of a patronage history that runs deep in Democratic party history back to the days of Tammany Hall. That’s not to say that cronyism and corruption haven’t occurred with several Republicans, it has.  But of the last 6 presidents (Reagan-Bush-Clinton-Bush-Obama-Trump), Donald Trump lost money as a result of being in the White House. He has recovered that loss since leaving the White House, but the others named took hefty increases in net worth compared to when they entered. “Forgotten History” historian and video series host Colin Heaton ranked Trump among the “least corrupt” U.S. presidents. As the BBC reported, citing Bloomberg:  “Donald Trump’s net worth dropped by about $700m to $2.3bn (£1.65bn) during his time as president, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires” list. The first video below is not endorsed, it is appears biased against Trump, but nevertheless makes the point the BBC did.

Behind the curtain, this is often an issue of patronage or cronyism.

20) The big money donors favor Kamala Harris in 2024, as it did Joe Biden before her. That should speak volumes to objective thinkers. Who is likely to challenge the status quo? The ones who failed up via cronyism and patronage? Or the one that is opposed by much (not all) of Wall Street, Silicon Valley, and the big media and corporate moguls?

Right-leaning Breitbart noted that left-leaning CNBC’s host Jim Cramer said Monday on CNBC’s “Squawk on the Street” that if voters care about their “paycheck,” they should vote for former President Donald Trump in November.

Cramer added, “This is a nice change of pace, a lot of business people surrounding Harris if you’re in the stock market. If you care about your paycheck, you go with Trump. That is what you do.”

Cramer concluded, “He wants to cut your taxes.”

Breaking this morning (8.6.2024), the Harris campaign has announced that Governor Tim Walz (MN-D) has been selected as her running mate. Walz has described socialism as neighborliness. He is a leftist in what has become a potentially swing state of MN.

21) Going along to get along is often seen as easier than pulling back the veil and spotlight sometimes ugly truths. Let’s look again at the national industry production data since 1995.

• a) from 1996-2000 witnessed a total of 2,033,545 new manufactured homes produced in the U.S. That 6-year average for new manufactured home production from 1996 to 2000 was 338,924.167 annually.
• b) In the 23 years from 2001 to 2023 the total new manufactured home production was 2,230,400. That is an average of 96,973.91 throughout the completed years of 21st century.
• c) 2007 to 2023 the total production of manufactured homes was only 1,345,974.  During those 17-years the average production per year 79,174.94 for the most recent years of the 21st century.

There are several possible takeaways. Manufactured housing should have gone up after the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act of 2000 was passed by a widely bipartisan margin and signed into law in 2000 by then President William Jefferson “Bill” Clinton. But had production only stayed level at the same average as from 1996-2000, the 23 years of 2001 to 2023 would have produced over 7 million HUD Code homes instead of 2.23 million homes. Here is the math: 338,924.167 x23 = 7,795,255.841.  So, hypothetically, had manufactured housing stayed level in the 21st century, here is math: 7795255.841-2230400 = 5,564,855.841.

• A) That 5.5 million added manufactured housing units is obviously closer to the 6 million affordable homes that Cavco Industries has been saying for some time is needed in the U.S. Housing affordability would be dramatically better had that occurred. Why? Because that is what the law of supply and demand dictates.
• B) That 5.5 million added manufactured housing units is obviously closer to the 7.3 million affordable rental housing units are needed, per the 2024 National Low Income Housing Coalition GAP Report. U.S. Housing affordability would be dramatically better had that occurred. Why? Because that is what the law of supply and demand dictates.
• C) To illustrate that, HUD’s Pamela Blumenthal and Regina Gray wrote: “The consequences of inadequate supply are higher housing costs for both renting and buying a home.” Gray specifically pitched the need for and importance of more HUD Code manufactured homes. So, why is Gray’s name missing from the MHI website? Why are Gray or those two HUD researchers not spotlighted by pro-MHI bloggers and trade media?
• D) Per HUD’s Blumenthal and Gray: “The regulatory environment — federal, state, and local — that contributes to the extensive mismatch between supply and need has worsened over time. Federally sponsored commissions, task forces, and councils under both Democratic and Republican administrations have examined the effects of land use regulations on affordable housing for more than 50 years. Numerous studies find land use regulations that limit the number of new units that can be built or impose significant costs on development through fees and long approval processes drive up housing costs. Research indicates higher housing costs also drive up program costs for federal assistance, reducing the funds available to serve additional households.”

22) If MHI authentically cared about driving industry growth, they would have Mark Bowersox, Lesli Gooch, and anyone else with some sway there spend a few days reading articles and reports on MHProNews, MHLivingNews, and the MHARR website.  They would distill down those items and create an authentic growth agenda, instead of the smokescreens and diversions of endless meetings, meaningless if not phony awards, and issuing position papers that fail to accomplish the overarching goals of getting existing laws enforced. Copilot was clear. If MHI wants growth, they would systematically push for the enforcement of existing laws. MHARR has said so for over 2 decades in the case of the MHIA of 2000 and its enhanced preemption provision. MHI under Chris Stinebert’s leadership did make getting the MHIA’s enhanced preemption provision an issue. But when Stinebert left, in true Orwellian fashion, so too did the base document shown below magically vanish from the public side of the MHI website. MHI has scrubbed their own website of mentions of Stinebert, Gail Cardwell, and Thayer Long, among others.  MHI erases the names of their own prior CEOs/presidents from their own website. Yup. Neat tricks, aren’t they? It’s Orwellian, making someone they previously touted and then turning them into an unperson.

23) MHProNews was still an MHI member when this writer personally invited MHI leaders, face to face at one of their events to have a staff member in the Tunica MS trade show be part of a panel discussion on manufactured housing industry performance. They said they would discuss it. No one was assigned to that task, even though per reports MHI had people at that event. Put differently, for at least 8 years, MHI has been ducking accountability in public.  Other examples have been documented in the report linked below. That educational and discussion session was video recorded. There is no denying that MHI failed to have someone on that stage to make remarks and answer questions. It is similarly difficult for MHI to deny the following examples.

24) MHI apparently wants to keep the industry underperforming. There is no other logical explanation consistent with all of the known facts. When MHI, or an MHI surrogate, says something about removing zoning barriers it is arguably paltering and propaganda at best, or lies, gaslighting, and deception at worst. One more time, because it is near the heart of the industry’s woes.

Let’s note as a disclosure that our MHProNews’ analysis are our own, we back them with facts and evidence, but this hasn’t been requested or even suggested by anyone else. The irony here is that the late Howard Walker, ELS’ longtime vice chair and attorney, are among those who praised MHProNews for our accuracy. Walker provided the following on the record.

ELS has Patrick Waite, the company’s COO, on the MHI executive committee. ELS has another management team member Ron Bunce on their main board too.

According to page 20 of the ELS investor pitch.

Supply Constrained Asset Class

There has been limited MH development in the U.S. in the past 20 years
Growing demand coupled with almost no new supply is a strategic advantage for ELS

Reasons for the Supply Constraint

• NIMBY (Not in my backyard)
• Restricted zoning & regulations
• Federal planning vs local planning

Duncan Bates, at MHI member Legacy Housing, has made the following statement about the significance of the problem of zoning/placement barriers.

MHARR and a raft of other researchers and advocates looking into manufactured housing has said that zoning and competitive financing are the two biggest issues facing the industry.

To see the slide below in a larger size, depending on your device, click the image and follow the prompts, or click the image linked here. Recall that Sun Communities and Flagship Communities, among others at MHI, have said similarly.

25) MHI can’t have it both ways. MHI leaders can’t claim to want to advance the industry on zoning/placement and other bottlenecks, and yet fail to do the obvious things necessary for advancing the industry’s production back to historic levels. This cries out for legal investigation and action. Some recent cases in other industries ought to be warning signs for MHI leaders, a topic that MHProNews may explore in the days ahead. Stay tuned.

With such a problematic history in most of the 21st century, MHI’s CEO Gooch is arguably a fine evidence-based example in MHVille of failing up. As those linked reports reflect, it seems that conflicts of interest, cronyism and corruption may be precisely the qualities that MHI’s board wanted. But in fairness, there are others in MHVille corporate and association leadership that bear ethical, legal, and ‘failing up’ style scrutiny. MHProNews has already pulled back the veil on several of those leaders.

Florida’s Jim Ayotte was both correct and incorrect when he said that manufactured housing isn’t rocket science. True, this ought to be reasonably easy. Enforce existing laws. That should be the mantra of the industry. Treat customers well and enforce existing laws. The duplicity, head fakes, lies, deception are what make manufactured housing performance complex.

As usual, MHProNews invites those named to respond on the record to this or prior linked reports. More ‘big boy’ specific reports are pending. Watch for them. ##

Part V

Our Daily Business News on MHProNews stock market recap which features our business-daily at-a-glance update of over 2 dozen manufactured housing industry stocks.

NOTICE: following the TPG deal with CAPREIT, TPG has been added to our tracked stocks list below.

This segment of the Daily Business News on MHProNews is the recap of yesterday evening’s market report at the closing bell, so that investors can see-at-glance the type of topics may have influenced other investors. Our format includes our signature left (CNN Business) and right (Newsmax) ‘market moving’ headlines for a more balanced report.

The macro market moves graphics below provide context and comparisons for those invested in or tracking manufactured housing connected equities. Meaning, you can see ‘at a glance’ how manufactured housing connected firms do compared to other segments of the broader equities market.

• In minutes a day, readers can get a good sense of significant or major events while keeping up with the trends that may be impacting manufactured housing connected investing.

MHProNews note, bold emphasis added below.

Headlines from left-of-center CNN Business – 8.5.2024

• Global stock markets plunge
• Google loses massive antitrust lawsuit over its search dominance
• Reporter Evan Gershkovich receives an embrace following his release as part of a 24-person prisoner swap between Russia and the United States on Thursday, August 1, 2024.
• Bloomberg News disciplines staffers after breaking embargo on US-Russia prisoner swap
• Three fears are emerging all at the same time to send markets into a tailspin Monday.
• Why the stock market is freaking out again
• CrowdStrike fires back at Delta, claiming the airline ignored offers of help during service meltdown
• Elon Musk files new lawsuit against OpenAI and Sam Altman
• Vice President Kamala Harris campaigns for President as the presumptive Democratic candidate during an event at West Allis Central High School, Tuesday, July 23, 2024, in West Allis, Wis.
• Kamala Harris’ economic pitch just got a lot more complicated
• Members of the NTSB examine the hole in the fuselage plug area of Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 shortly after the flight.
• We’re about to get the most detailed explanation yet for Boeing’s terrifying mid-air blowout
• New homes are getting smaller. That could be big news for first-time buyers
• Japanese stocks crash in biggest one-day drop since 1987 as global market rout intensifies
• ‘Charger hogs’ are ruining the electric vehicle experience. One company is clamping down on bad manners
• What it means to have a ‘Black job’ in America
• Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway cuts stake in Apple by nearly 50%
• In a tricky box office summer, how can indie cinemas survive?
• 3 reasons to worry about July’s weak jobs report — and 1 reason not to panic
• Plaintiffs in Maui wildfire case reach $4 billion settlement against Hawaiian Electric and others
• Dow closes more than 600 points lower after weak July jobs data
• Scam victims on Zelle rarely get their money back. A new bill could fix that
• US government sues TikTok for allegedly violating children’s privacy law
• Google pulls Olympics ad that showed AI writing a little girl’s letter for her
• Chevron says it is moving its headquarters out of California
• Has the AI bubble burst? Wall Street wonders if artificial intelligence will ever make money
• US economy added just 114,000 jobs last month and unemployment rose to 4.3%

 

Headlines from right-of-center Newsmax – 8.5.2024

• Stock Markets Plunge on US Recession Fears
• Nearly everything on Wall Street tumbled Monday as fear about a slowing U.S. economy worsens and sets off another sell-off for financial markets around the world. [Full Story]
• Related Stories
• Traders Maintain Global Stock Rout Not a Recession Sign
• Fed’s Goolsbee: US Doesn’t Look Like It’s in Recession
• Magnificent 7 Set to Shed $1T in Value, Led by Apple, Nvidia
• Elon Musk: Fed Foolish Not to Have Cut Interest Rates
• Israel at War
• 9 UNRWA Staffers Fired, May Have Had Role in Israel Attack: UN
• Flurry of Diplomacy as Israel Awaits Iran Attack
• Iran President, in Talks With Putin Ally, Calls for Expanded Russia Ties
• Blinken: Iran Could Attack Israel in 24 Hours
• G7 Nations Urge De-escalation in Middle East
• IDF Discovers More Tunnels Under Rafah Border With Egypt
• IDF Eliminates Hamas’ Economy Minister in Gaza
• Netanyahu: Israel Already in a ‘Multifront War’ With Iran
• IDF: Strikes Hit Terrorists Using Schools as Shields
• US: Mideast Asset Moves Defensive, for Deterrence
• Newsmax TV
• D’Esposito: Harris Surge ‘a Temporary Honeymoon’
• Clark: Israel Ready for Iran Strike | video
• Malliotakis: 9/11 Families Want Justice | video
• Huizenga: VP Shapiro Risks Swing-State Muslims | video
• Ex-Navy SEAL: Dems Playing Politics With 9/11 | video
• Blaine Holt: What’s the True Price for the Prisoner Swap? | video
• Jason Miller: Harris ‘Gaslighting’ on Debating Trump | video
• Kari Lake: Gallego ‘Most Radical Liberal Democrat’ | video
• JD Vance: Trump Would Have Gotten Better Hostage Deal | video
• Newsfront
• US Supreme Court Declines to Halt Trump’s Sentencing in N.Y. Case
• The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday declined to halt Donald Trump’s upcoming sentencing for his conviction in state court in New York on felony charges involving payments to a porn performer and a related gag order until after the Nov. 5 election…. [Full Story]
• Judge Rules Google Illegally Monopolized Searches
• A judge Monday ruled that Google’s ubiquitous search engine has been [Full Story]
• Sources: Kamala Harris VP Choice Narrows to Shapiro, Walz
• Democrat presidential candidate Kamala Harris has narrowed her search [Full Story]
• Related
• Wisconsin, Pennsylvania Elections Vulnerable to Lawsuits
• GOP Strategists: Focus on Economy, Answer Harris ‘Freedom’ Message
• Hospitality Union Endorses Harris, Dismissing Trump’s Tax-Free Tips
• CBS Poll: Trump, Harris Tied in Battleground States
• Fetterman: Serious Concerns About Shapiro for VP
• Carville: Kamala Should Conditionally Accept Debate
• Cotton: Media Needs to Hold Harris Accountable
• Trump on Debate: Don’t Think Harris Will Show Up |video
• Biden Senior Adviser Leaving for Kamala’s Team
• Ex-Secret Service Chief Wanted WH Cocaine Destroyed
• Kimberly Cheatle, the former director of the Secret Service, and [Full Story]
• Stock Markets Plunge on US Recession Fears
• Nearly everything on Wall Street is tumbling Monday as fear about a [Full Story]
• Related
• Traders Maintain Global Stock Rout Not a Recession Sign
• Oil Drops as US Recession Fears Spark Broader Selloff
• Key Bond Yield Curve Turns Positive on Recession Fears
• Fed’s Goolsbee: US Doesn’t Look Like It’s in Recession
• Magnificent 7 Set to Shed $1T in Value, Led by Apple, Nvidia
• US Treasury Yields Slide as Traders Bet on Big Rate Cuts
• Hungary Blocks Censure of Venezuela Over Stolen Election
• In a display of support for Venezuelan totalitarian President Nicols [Full Story]
• Related
• WashPost: Maduro Lost Election, Opposition Tallies Show
• Venezuela’s Maduro Arrests 2,000 Protesters in Election Crackdown
• Bloomberg Says Sorry for Premature Prisoner Swap Story
• Bloomberg News apologized Monday for prematurely publishing a story [Full Story]
• Iranian President, in Talks With Putin Ally, Calls for Expanded Ties With Russia
• Iran’s President Masoud Pezeshkian told a senior ally of Kremlin [Full Story]
• Related
• Biden, Harris Meet in Situation Room Amid Iran Threats
• UK’s Starmer Calls Meeting on Anti-immigration Unrest
• British Prime Minister Keir Starmer will hold an emergency meeting [Full Story]
• Ukraine Receives 1st Half of $7.8B US Grant
• Ukraine has received a $3.9 billion grant from the United States via [Full Story]
• Related
• Zelenskyy: Ukraine Finally Deploying US F-16 Fighter Jets
• Ukraine’s Long-Range Strikes Sink Sub, Hit Airfield
• Russia Captures Village in Ukraine’s Donetsk Region: Defense Ministry
• Russia’s Putin Offers Disaster Aid to North Korea to Help it Cope with Recent Flooding Damage
• How to Restore Eyelashes Using This Advanced Mascara
• Vibriance
• China’s Foray in Central Europe Drawing NATO’s Ire, Concern
• China’s small Special Operations Task Force training operation in [Full Story] | Platinum Article
• 5 Reasons Why Warren Buffett Sold Half His Apple Stock
• Warren Buffett, the Oracle of Omaha, may be souring on the prospects [Full Story]
• Edema is Not From Salty Food! Meet the Main Enemy of Edema
• WellnessGaze Edema
• Justice Gorsuch: Americans ‘Getting Whacked’ by Laws
• Ordinary Americans are “getting whacked” by too many laws and [Full Story]
• Related
• Justice Gorsuch on Court Reform: ‘Be Careful’
• Pelosi: Put Biden on Mount Rushmore
• Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., says President Joe Biden [Full Story]
• Report: RFK Jr. Called Trump ‘Terrible Human Being,’ ‘Sociopath’
• Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. said former [Full Story]
• Trump Blames Biden, Harris for Market Losses
• Former President Donald Trump blamed President Joe Biden and Vice [Full Story]
• Elon Musk Revives Lawsuit Against Sam Altman, OpenAI
• Elon Musk has revived a lawsuit against ChatGPT maker OpenAI and its [Full Story]
• Balance Beam Slip Costs Biles an Olympic Medal
• No medal for Simone Biles on the balance beam this time. [Full Story]
• Mullin: ‘Snake’ Iran Needs Its Head Cut Off
• Iran should finally be held accountable for its longtime sponsorship [Full Story]
• Musk-Backed PAC Under Investigation in Michigan
• A political action committee backed by billionaire Elon Musk is under [Full Story]
• Mental Exertion Can Make Your ‘Brain Hurt’
• Folks who rub their forehead and complain that a complex problem is [Full Story]
• UK PM Calls for ‘Wider Deployment of Facial Recognition’
• After riots broke out in the wake of the Monday deaths of three girls [Full Story]
• Donalds Rips Stephanopoulos for Meltdown
• Byron Donalds, R-Fla., sharply criticized ABC News host George [Full Story]
• Lindsey Graham: US Needs to Keep Pressure On Iran
• Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., told The Jerusalem Post that Iran needs [Full Story]
• Debby Growing to Hurricane En Route to Fla. Gulf Coast
• Tropical Storm Debby is expected to gather strength and become a [Full Story]
• RFK Jr. Admits He Dumped Dead Bear in Central Park
• Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy admitted to [Full Story]
• Firefighters Gain Big Ground on Massive California Blaze
• Fire crews battling California’s largest wildfire this year have [Full Story]
• DeSantis Could Make Another Presidential Run
• While J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, may be the current talk of the GOP as [Full Story]
• UAW President: We Like Beshear, Walz for Harris VP
• United Auto Workers President Shawn Fain on Sunday said the union’s [Full Story]
• Fmr Secretary Ross: Biden Stay at WH in Question
• Former Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross raised the question on Sunday [Full Story]
• Trump Campaign: CBS Poll Skewed to Help Harris
• The Trump campaign on Sunday blasted a CBS News/YouGov poll, saying [Full Story]
• More Newsfront
• Finance
• Stock Markets Plunge on US Recession Fears
• Nearly everything on Wall Street is tumbling Monday as fear about a slowing U.S. economy worsens and sets off another sell-off for financial markets around the world…. [Full Story]
• Related Stories
• Markets Give Off ‘Black Monday’ Vibes as Stocks Tank
• Stock Spiral More About End to Cheap Funding Than US Economy
• Key Bond Yield Curve Turns Positive on Recession Fears
• Traders Maintain Global Stock Rout Not a Recession Sign
• Banks Tumble as Economic Data Sparks Recession Fears
• Fannie, Freddie to Tighten Real Estate Lending Rules
• Stagflation Scare as Interest Rates Stay High
• Stock Spiral More About End to Cheap Funding Than US Economy
• More Finance
• Health
• Exercise Might Offset the Damage of Sitting
• People can offset hours spent sitting around with minutes of active exercise each week, a new study claims. Folks who are sedentary for eight or more hours daily can lower their overall risk of death – and especially their risk of dying from heart disease – if they perform…… [Full Story]
• Green Tea, More Botanicals Linked to Liver Injury
• Schools Taking Meditation Breaks for Mental Health
• Depression May Lower Breast Cancer Survival
• IBS, Digestive Trouble Spotlighted on Social Media

 

To see this image below in a larger size, depending on your device,
click the image and follow the prompts.

Notice: MHProNews invites the firms or organizations named in these reports to respond to any concerns about possibly inaccurate information via email that identifies the concern and offers evidence that sheds a different light on the topic discussed. That said, until 5.9.2024, neither MHI nor most MHI publicly traded ‘insider brands’ have done so. They’ve been repeatedly invited to do so, including but not limited to an outreach on Dec 7, 2o23 and Feb 25, 2024. In the case of that response linked above, no apparent reply was given to follow up inquires by MHProNews. 

APO = Apolo Global Management – bought Inspire Communities

BAM = Brookfield Asset Management – owns and invests in manufactured home communities (MHCs).

BLK = BlackRock – conglomerate has investments in firms and operations involved in manufactured housing.

BRK-A = Berkshire Hathaway – includes outright ownership of Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage Corp, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance, other manufactured home industry linked firms (MHC brokerage, suppliers, etc.).

BX = Blackstone – Blackstone Group LP has made its first big bet on manufactured housing by buying a portfolio of communities sold by Tricon Capital Group Inc.

CDPYF = Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust – also has manufactured home communities (MHCs).

CIGI = Colliers International Group Inc. – The Manufactured Housing and RV Group “We Assist Owners and Investors with Disposition, Acquisition, and Financing for Manufactured Housing Communities and RV Parks.”

CG = The Carlyle Group – has manufactured home communities investments.

CSGP = CoStar Group – is commercial real estate’s leading provider of information, analytics and online marketplaces. They acquired listing service Homes.com.

CVCO = Cavco Industries – manufactured home and other factory-built housing production, retail, finance, insurance.

ECNCF = ECN Capital Group – includes manufactured home lender Triad Financial Services.

ELS = Equity LifeStyle Properties – includes land lease manufactured home communities (MHCs), but also RV and marine slips holdings. Also has captive manufactured home retail operations, and parent to Datacomp/MHVillage.

FGF = FG Financial Group – FG Communities “Owns and Operates Growing Portfolio of Manufactured Housing Communities.” KEY = KeyCorp – manufactured home community financing and manufactured home single-family mortgage financing.

KMMPF = Killam Apartment REITs- (includes manufactured home communities (MHCs).

LCII = LCI Industries – components for the manufactured home industry and others (RVs, housing, etc.).

LEGH = Legacy Housing – produces manufactured homes, tiny houses, retail, and captive finance operations.

LPX = Louisiana Pacific Corporation – components for the manufactured home industry and others (housing, etc.).

MHC-UN.TO = Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT).

MHPC = Manufactured Housing Properties – land lease manufactured home communities (MHCs).

MMI = Marcus and Millichap – commercial real estate brokerage services that include land lease manufactured home communities (MHCs).

NOBH = Nobility Homes – produces and offers captive retail, financing, and insurance services for HUD Code manufactured homes and modular homes.

PATK = Patrick Industries – components for the manufactured home industry and others (RVs, housing, etc.).

SKY = Skyline Champion – produces and offers captive retail, financing, and insurance for HUD Code manufactured homes and modular homes.

SUI = Sun Communities – includes land lease manufactured home communities (MHCs), but also RV and marine slips holdings. Also has captive manufactured home retail operations.

TPG = TPG includes land lease manufactured home communities (MHCs) among a broader basket of investments.

UMH = UMH Properties – includes land lease manufactured home communities and captive manufactured home retail, leasing, and financing operations.

UFPI = UFP Industries – components for the manufactured home industry and others (housing, etc.).

• • • NOTE 1: Chart above of manufactured housing connected equities includes the Canadian stock, ECN, which purchased Triad Financial Services, a manufactured home industry finance lender.
    • NOTE 2: Drew changed its name and trading symbol at the end of 2016 to Lippert (LCII).
    • NOTE 3: Deer Valley was largely taken private, say company insiders in a message to MHProNews on 12.15.2020, but there are still some outstanding shares of the stock from the days when it was a publicly traded firm.  Thus, there is still periodic activity on DVLY.
    • Note 4: some recent or related reports to the REITs, stocks, and other equities named above follow in the reports linked below.
    • Note 5: Gifts of Sight and Insights, What’s in Store for 2024? Including 2023 Year End Reflections, manufactured homes, manufactured housing, mobile homes, MHVille, USA Snapshots, Manufactured housing industry year in review 2023.

 

 

2023 …Berkshire Hathaway is the parent company to Clayton Homes, 21^st Mortgage, Vanderbilt Mortgage and other factory-built housing industry suppliers.
· LCI Industries, Patrick, UFPI, and LP each are suppliers to the manufactured housing industry, among others.
· AMG, CG, and TAVFX have investments in manufactured housing related businesses. For insights from third-parties and clients about our publisher, click here.

 

 

2022 was a tough year for many stocks. Unfortunately, that pattern held true for manufactured home industry (MHVille) connected stocks too. See the facts, linked above.

====================================

Disclosure. MHProNews holds no positions in the stocks in this report.

· For expert manufactured housing business development or other manufactured housing professional services, click here.
· To sign up in seconds for our industry leading emailed headline news updates, click here.

• Note 1: MHVille means manufactured housing industry, MHVille also means artificially smaller manufactured housing (MH) industry,
• Note 2: Manufactured housing, building, factories, retail, dealers, manufactured home, communities, passive mobile home park investing, suppliers, brokers, finance, financial services, macro-markets, manufactured housing stocks, Manufactured Home Communities Real Estate Investment Trusts, MHC REITs.
• Note 3:
  

  APO, Apollo Global Management, BAM, Brookfield Asset Management, BLK, BlackRock, BRK-A, Berkshire Hathaway, BX, Blackstone, CDPYF, Canadian Apartment Properties Real Estate Investment Trust, CIGI, Colliers International Group Inc, CG, The Carlyle Group, CSGP, CoStar Group, CVCO, Cavco Industries, ECNCF, ECN Capital Group, ELS, Equity LifeStyle Properties, FGF, FG Financial Group, FG Communities,  KEY, KeyCorp, KMMPF, Killam Apartment REITs, LCII, LCI Industries, LEGH, Legacy Housing, LPX, Louisiana Pacific Corporation, MHC-UN.TO, Flagship Communities Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT), MHPC, Manufactured Housing Properties, MMI, Marcus and Millichap, NOBH, Nobility Homes, PATK, Patrick Industries, SKY, Skyline Champion, SUI, Sun Communities, UMH, UMH Properties, UFPI, UFP Industries.

That’s a wrap on this installment of “News Through the Lens of Manufactured Homes and Factory-Built Housing” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (Affordable housing, manufactured homes, stock, investing, data, metrics, reports, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. Third-party images or content are provided under fair use guidelines for media.) (See Related Reports linked herein. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them.)

 

By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.
Tony earned a journalism scholarship along with numerous awards in history. There have been several awards, honors and numerous public recognitions for his achievements in manufactured housing. For example, he earned the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he studied history and business management. Kovach is a managing member and co-founder of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews. MHProNews is ranked as the runaway most read trade media in modern manufactured housing history. Manufactured Home Pro News (MHProNews) is the documented #1 largest and most read source for manufactured housing industry News Tips and Views Pros Can Use, per Webalizer 2.23 (on 5.22.2024) and known data. MHProNews gets millions of visits a year and has significantly more pageviews per visit than CNN or Fox per SimilarWeb’s stats for those two sites (but in fairness CNN and Fox sites get more much more total traffic). Statistics – Data – Infographics – Research – Facts – Evidence – Trends – and manufactured housing industry expert Analysis make us and keep us the runaway most read in MHVille trade media. This article reflects the LLC’s and/or the writer’s editorial views and may or may not reflect the views of sponsors or supporters.