The message that follows was sent by our publisher yesterday morning to various elected, selected, self-named, or appointed leaders in their respective organizations. Various forms of feedback and responses confirm that they were received. Following the message there will be some commentary, related information and analysis. We’ll note as a placeholder that some internal documents have been provided that originated from one or more of these organizations, which will be the subject of a planned upcoming report. The blue highlighting in the email below was edited in for MHProNews reader benefit, and was not in the original. But the yellow highlighting below was in the original message. Typos are in the original. Note that the Findlaw reference may be of the most interest to investors.
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Oct 8, 2019, 10:35 AM ET
from: L. A. Tony K <latonyk@gmail.com>
to: Dan Rinzema <dcr@datacompusa.com>,
Darren Krolewski <darren@datacompusa.com>,
darren@mhvillage.com
cc: Rick Robinson <rrobinson@mfghome.org>,
John Greiner <JGreiner@graydon.law>, [ Notice to MHProNews readers: Greiner has identified himself as one of MHI’s outside attorneys]
“Hodges, Tom” <tom.hodges@claytonhomes.com>,
Tim Williams <TimWilliams@21stmortgage.com>
bcc: [Names withheld, which include federal officials, see below for more context.]
RE: Leadership at…a few words and opportunity to respond
Gentlemen,
First, let me personally make you aware of the articles linked below. Note that as we are getting reader feedback, statements, and inquiries, we will do one or more follow up reports on these topics.
As the articles make clear, there is at a minimum a concern about the accuracy of some of your published claims. Having brought via fact-checks some of your claims to the industry’s attention, the ongoing nature of the purported errors beg several legal as well as ethical questions.
Barron’s Dictionary says as the definition of circulation the following. The highlighting was added to make the concern clear.
“Dictionary of Marketing Terms for: circulation
readership of a periodical or other printed advertising medium. Since the cost of advertising in a periodical is based upon the number of readers deemed to be of interest to advertisers, the periodical’s circulation is of prime concern. consumer magazines base advertising rates on paid circulation; trade magazines base advertising rates on the number of readers with the demographics characteristics of the periodical’s target audience.”
Also:
Findlaw says that “ In a shareholder suit, inconsistent statements by different executives” can be the basis of legal actions.
Second, that said,
- will you offer full refunds to those who advertised with you based upon a sincere belief that you had the largest audience?
- Will you also publish/issue a clarification addressing the concerns raised above and linked from those reports?
- Clayton Homes is part of a publicly traded company, as you know.
·Would you please explain the extent to which your publishing arm interfaces with the Manufactured Housing Institute and/or other key industry giants? To what degree do you game plan your topics and narratives? - These accuracy in published claims concerns also raise issues about trade shows and similar concerns if industry members are being properly informed about show related data. It is our understanding that your firms are integral to those events.
Third, we have already brought some of these related issues to the attention of federal officials, but we expect follow ups. We are not attorneys, but our understanding of the law leads me to believe that MHVillage/MHInsider and possibly others in concert with those firms may have crossed possible legal lines. If you’d like to issue a response to those matters or to any of our prior published reports, please email them for our mutual ease and clarity of handling.
Fourth, let me also advise you that multiple public officials are in the BCC of this message. I’m also copying some of your staff members, and a few interested independent industry leaders, so that they are aware of the concerns, and can take whatever legal steps they may feel are useful for safeguarding, if they so desire, their personal or professional interests.
You already know the drill. Please email your reply or comments for our mutual accuracy in handling. Let us know who to attribute those comments to as well. Also, keep in mind that we will be advising the industry of these inquires and will do follow ups. So, the more prompt your reply, it will make our ability to include them in our follow up reporting and analysis easier.
Thank you.
Tony
…
L. A. ‘Tony’ Kovach
Managing Member,
LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC DBA
MHLivingNews.com | MHProNews.com | LATonyKovach.com |Office 863-213-4090 |
… [ Some additional signature line, added information, or disclosures omitted]
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As noted in the opening paragraph of this report, there have been some off the record replies, but thus far, the addressed parties have not formally responded. MHProNews can update as warranted.
That inquiry comes as a follow up to the report linked above and below. New or first time reader at MHProNews? Each image/text box above and below are a link to the report described by their respective headline. Click it to access it.
Exposé – Darren Krolewski – Datacomp, MHVillage, MHInsider – Marketing Claims, Fact-Check Infographic, and Analysis
Most professionals don’t like being deceived, especially when it comes to their money, investments, and business interests. That’s a safe statement without doing an opinion poll. Given that premise, this article reviews in some 650 words the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) self-proclaimed ‘partner’ in publishing, MHInsider, using their own data and claims. Hold onto your wallet.
As a reminder to longtime readers of MHProNews as well as an FYI to newer readers here is the following. There are known to be several federal investigations underway that involve Clayton Homes and their Berkshire Hathaway related lending. These have been the topic of mainstream news reports and/or have been evidenced by letters from Congressional representatives to various federal agencies asking for such investigations.
As noted, reports linked above and below can be accessed by clicking those images or texts and are examples of those investigations.
There are evidence-based reasons to believe that the affordable housing market has been manipulated to some degree by certain players in the manufactured housing industry. A 600 word executive summary of those concerns, which is cross-linked to downloads or relevant evidence can be accessed from the text image box below
The manufactured home industry is underperforming. That is a point that some may try to obscure or hope that many in the industry and among its investors won’t carefully question the ‘why’ or ‘who’ behind the data.
But comparing manufactured housing to the RV industry some twenty years ago, RVs rose in output while manufactured housing fell. RVs are a ‘luxury’ item for many if not most buyers, while most manufactured homes are housing and that is a necessity not a luxury for most. Put differently, the RV Industry data suggest that manufactured housing should be doing much better than it is.
In every industry or profession, there are barriers of entry, persistence, and to exit for a business. To understand that principle, see the report accessed by clicking the text image box below. Grasping that principle helps readers – including, but not limited to: investors, public officials, and industry pros – to see how and why the manipulation of information, as well as capital or other key ingredients for success in business can impact performance. That in turn impacts the value of a business.
Barriers to Entry, Persistence, and Exiting in Business, Affordable Housing, and Manufactured Homes
Presuming a valuable industry were manipulated and/or monopolized by a few power players, then affordable housing itself has been manipulated. That in turn logically harms consumers as well as existing manufactured home owners.
For longer-term thinkers, the potential value of that is measured in the tens of billions of dollars annually. Ironically, much of this is out in the open. It is the truth hiding in plain sight.
Manufactured housing enjoys on paper the benefits of several good laws. However those laws are not routinely enforced. Why not? On paper, MHI stated last summer in a message to their members that they have asked HUD Secretary Carson to enforce federal laws. But in the absence of enforcement, the industry is consolidating. Is that coincidence or by design? Are we to believe that the giant Berkshire Hathaway conglomerate – parent to Clayton Homes, 21st Mortgage Corp, and Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance – and MHI can’t get existing federal laws enforced if they want them to be enforced? See more on that in the report linked below, and in additional related reports below the byline and notices.
All of this has meaning and impact on investing.
These are all reasons – plus the obvious impacts on millions of current and potential manufactured home owners – why MHProNews has doggedly pulled back the layers of the onion. They are also reasons why we are pushing the issue with federal officials.
But we are not alone in this endeavor. Ponder why state associations would fail to take up the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR) offer to engage in legal battles if necessary to see to it that good existing federal laws be enforced?
Notice, while MHARR is a sponsor, so are others. Sponsors do not dictate our content, as MHI, Clayton Homes, 21st and other discovered – because they too were previous sponsors of this website.
There is more to come today. If you aren’t already on our growing list of readers of our emailed headline news updates, click below to sign up in seconds.
For those who follow John Solomon on the Hill, you know that he has doggedly pursued the documents, money trail, and other evidence with respect to purported foriegn interference in U.S. elections. In like manner, MHProNews is following the evidence trail in our industry, building facts and ‘following the money’ for the benefit of readers. Perhaps that is what makes and keeps us the runaway most read in MHVille trade media? Thanks for checking in on this, your initial installment today, at your top resource for manufactured home “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use,” © where “We Provide, You Decide.” © ## (News, analysis, periodic entertainment, inspiration, and commentary.)
Soheyla is a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com. Connect with us on LinkedIn here and and here.
Related Reports:
Click the image/text box below to access relevant, related information.
Republican Senator Wants Study of Manufactured Home Communities, Rent Control
Prosperity Now, Nonprofits Sustain John Oliver’s “Mobile Homes” Video in Their Reports
“You’re a Gutless Cheat,” The Sting, and Manufactured Housing
