Please think back to the painful, dark days of 2008, 2009 and 2010. Or do you recall IBISWorld's shocking March 2011 manufactured housing report? Some of you will recall reading the following:
Derek Thompson, associate editor at The Atlantic, penned a commentary that included these words: "At the center of a perfect storm of boomer burnout, a brutal recession, and a rapidly changing industry, the mobile home retail market could be the worst industry in America. Here's why."
Photo from The Atlantic
Paul Bradley penned a great reply to what the media was then reporting. Then MHI CEO, Thayer Long thanked Paul Bradley for his article here and thanked us too for leading the charge on why The Atlantic and IBISWorld were dead wrong. Thayer himself chimed in with his reasons why the industry was not dying. The full report we did then – which links to Paul Bradley's spirited defense – is here.
Fast Forward!
Three years have gone by since the IBISWorld controversy. Thayer's left, but we now have Richard
"Dick" Jennison (right) ably at the CEO spot at MHI for over two years. Industry advocacy seems to be steadily improving in Washington, DC, even under very challenging conditions.
Let's not overlook the fact that a number of other associations are advancing as well.
Even in the face of the headwinds from Dodd-Frank, SAFE and more, some would rightly argue, we're picking up steam.
Against that backdrop, we'll feature a truly historic interview – A Cup of Coffee with… Jim Clayton, in our rapidly approaching May issue! .png)
Inspiring Words and Insights to Success from an MH Legend!
We couldn't be more excited about the Jim Clayton interview. Word has it, Jim is pleased about sharing it with you.
Like the legendary RV/MH Hall of Famer – Jim Clayton – we are pumped up about our Industry! We all should be learning from the past, seeing where we've been, applying the lessons and then looking ahead.
Chet Murphree said it well in our interview with him. In some markets there are still site built homes at depressed prices to compete against, but in other markets Deer Valley and other Factory builders are ready to go head-to-head with site built houses, and some are winning.
Skyline Home's Terry Decio spoke to us about similar points in his video interview with us! Skyline is also designing and building homes to attract the site-built homebuyers, because factory-building can deliver quality for less.
In fact, when you listen to the voices again on the video interviews linked here, what you hear is one pro after another – Wally Comer, Barry Noffsinger, Tim Williams, George Waechter, Rick Rand and many more – all saying pretty much the same thing. The future for factory built homes is looking ever brighter. America needs some 20 million new housing units by 2030. In tough times – with our quality and affordability – our industry is well poised to serve that need.
So as you listen next month to all of the powerful take-aways you'll get from the Jim Clayton videos and interview, he is not alone! Many of you will watch his video again and again. It is candid, insightful and motivational. Some of you may want to make A Cup of Coffee with…Jim Clayton required reading and viewing for your team.
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Scientia Potestas Est
Knowledge is potential power! Doers want to learn more, to earn more, or you and so many others wouldn't be here getting your battery charged, your GPS reset and preparing for a future that is rising up from the ashes like a the mythical Phoenix. 
As we look back a few days, some of you celebrated Passover; a historic delivery from slavery into freedom! That was not a time without cost. Easter was celebrated by billions, a conquest of Resurrected life over death.
Pardon me, but are you seeing a mirror of the pattern for our Industry's rebirth and coming freedom?
I say 'coming,' because we still have much work to do, but there are rewards that come from that work.
George Waechter says he has never been so excited about our future, and he has been in the business since 1970. That's one of the many gems in the video page linked above.
If you haven't noticed, Jim Clayton diversified into banking and more, but he is still very much in manufactured homes and land lease communities too! He's a believer.
In fact, Jim Clayton celebrates and encourages the entrepreneurial spirit in his interview.
You'll note that he likes using technology and keeps up with modern media and marketing too. Let's go back to our IBISWorld report, and quote…
Factory-built home retailer Dustin Youngdahl had this to say:
"As owner of Youngdahl Homes and someone who grew up in the mobile home…manufactured home…modular home industry, I'm excited about the future. With all down cycles and shakeups newer, better and more creative products & services will arise. The profits at the top of the bubble were great, but the challenges we face now will make us survivors that much stronger, more prepared to better help our clients and smarter at doing all the right things.”
"The engineered housing industry will only grow and improve because our quality & efficiencies cannot and will not be ignored. The stereotypical metal on metal mobile home will be equated with great grandma & nostalgia rather than present day reality. The future of factory built housing is at the intersection of efficiency, quality and creativity."
YOUR Future, Your Interview, could be Now!
Next week will be MHI Congress and Expo, followed rapidly by the Eastern Ohio Home Show in mid-May and New York's second "Factory Built House in the Hill."
The theme of C&E in Vegas – Building Success – is spot on! Let's risk saying – we don't have to "Create Opportunities" – they are all around us! It is about tapping into the means to grow anew. Some of you are gearing up your own marketing and promotional efforts.
Why not add a video interview to your mix? The timing to do it is great. During the Las Vegas Congress and Expo (C&E), we plan a number of new video interviews with Industry pros.
Are you going? Do YOU want YOUR company to be in the thick of the new video interview mix? Please click here to learn more.
A History of Engagement
We entered this fray in Oct 2009, confident of the come back, even though other publishers had failed and more would fail since our launch. We were fighting the good fight with you during perhaps the darkest days of our industry.
We were proud to be part of the big team effort that brought the Louisville Show back after it canceled in 2010. IBISWorld and the Atlantic misread our industry, they are not the first to make that mistake.
Today, the hottest new reads on our site are about the new capital and new opportunities that are racing into manufactured housing. Out of the ashes, the manufactured housing Phoenix is rising. Invest wisely in your future, because as the pros we've talked about above all seem to say, for many in our industry, tomorrow will be bright. ##
L. A. 'Tony' Kovach ManufacturedHomeLivingNews.com | MHProNews.com | Business and Public Marketing & Ads: B2B | B2C Websites, Contract Marketing & Sales Training, Consulting, Speaking: MHC-MD.com | LATonyKovach.com | Office 863-213-4090 Connect on LinkedIN: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach
