August. Back to school sales. People in a rush to get their manufactured home before winter sets in. Those end of the summer vacations. Baseball is starting its wind up, while football season is ready to launch. There are plenty of reasons why August is simply AMAZING! Let’s review a few in rapid fire fashion.

• The RV MH Hall of Fame dinner – Monday August 4^th – looms large. We don’t think there is a larger joint RV MH national event, and this year may be a record turn out in recent years. Both industries are up, but let’s be honest, RVs outpace MH by 5 to 1. Ouch! MHPros, we have to work on that!

  

• The new MHProNews issue for August is live! Once more, you’ll get the most industry trade news, tips and views pros can use  © anywhere in the MH world, all right here on this large and ever growing site.

• Both ManufacturedHomeLivingNews and MHProNews have had STRONG months in July! In fact, we may have essentially tied or even exceed our “Read Hot June” totals, but we needed to do some site upgrades here on MHProNews in this last week of the month. The good news was that our blogs and the back end stayed live, but some of our popular featured articles and other resources were not available for about a day. Still, when the dust settles and we get our Webalizer reports, we’ll be close to those June 2014 totals.

• We also upgraded our RAM and server this week on ManufacturedHomeLivingNews. Traffic and content had grown to the point the site was hiccuping at times, and so we took Nike’s advice and just did it. Check out the new speed on your next visit, at the link above.

  

• The ‘good news’ about modern manufactured homes is slooooooooooooooowly seeping into the mainstream media. We see it because we look at the news and are looking for the good news. Even the ‘bad’ stories often have silver linings. But there is no question that we need to do a better collective job of sharing the good news of MH today. We do our part! Our writers, sponsors and advertisers do theirs! How about you? What do YOU do to make MH advance?

• There is still some ‘bad news’ taking place. While arrests or criminal charges for fraud or larceny, etc. may not seem like the same thing as a CFPB or state complaint – or a fair housing case – they are all examples of behavior that nets our industry a black eye when it happens. Over the years, haven’t we all seen desperate operations that tried some scam or gimmick, to hoping for extra bucks or to try to avoid going under? Did you ever see one that took money without delivering homes and survived that?

• Tips YOU and Your Team Can USE! Speaking of fair housing…I’m not sure how we can ever get a legit fair housing complaint in MH. Every month for years now, we share Nadeen Green, the attorney known as the Fair Housing Lady in monthly featured articles. Some devotedly follow Nadeen’s writings! Some wisely share them with their sales people and office staff. While reading her or any attorney is no substitute for having your own counsel, it sure is helpful.

• DJ Pendleton rejoins us this month with an article on the latest from the CFPB. Until we can get regulations changed, the wise do all they can to work for change but also to stay between the regulatory ditches.

• Another expert from Hart King Law – Bill Dahlin, returns this month too. Check out Bill’s article on negligent design, and how that might impact an operation near you (or you…). All of the tips from our featured legal experts can help you stay out of the ditches and/or put you on the road to more profitable ways to do your business.

The Interviews you won’t find anywhere else!

• Bill Matchneer, JD, former program director at HUD, who just retired from the CFPB joins us again this month. Check out his latest thoughts since his last interview here. Is there any controversy looming in his comments? Take a look…Bill’s linked below along with our other 18 featured articles for Awesome August.

• Tim Connor, CSP. Tim’s career has been amazing! I’ve seen him present live many times.  He delivers and his audience ratings prove it. Tim is perhaps our most faithful writer over the years, so we are pleased to bring you at last an interview with a man whose done training in a couple of dozen countries world wide, and here in the U.S. for dozens of operations in factory built housing. After 4000 presentations and 80 plus books, it is safe to say Tim’s top shelf. His thinking can make you money.

• Paul Bradley, ROC USA. How many in our industry’s ranks have realized that ROC USA has grown so much, they could easily be ranked among the larger portfolio operators in the U.S.? That’s true! Besides our usual ones, we put some TOUGH, thought provoking questions to Paul. We have to keep a straight face, because let me tell you, the man is smart (and witty!). Don’t miss it, and if you are a community owner, you especially don’t want to miss Paul’s interview.

Dennis Hill brings us updates on Louisville and Tunica. Word to the wise, if you haven’t locked in your spaces, better hurry.  Both will sell out way early from what we hear. Make your plans for both events, now.  Read it from Dennis, at the link below.

Speaking of events…many who ‘can’t make it’ to a trade show have asked us over the years, can’t we see a video of the seminars? Well…not usually! First of all, the seminars are put on for the benefit of attendees. Frankly, you don’t get the same impact from a video as you would when you’re live. But we made special arrangements with our friends a ManufacturedHomes.com to bring you some of the highlights of a panel presentation on lessons learned in the MH and MHC space. Check it out, at this link here.

This is NOT a stock photo!
An actual audience shown from one of our trade show panel discussions.

Experts! Thinkers! Proven Leaders!

• Ron D’Ambra with PWSC.com joins us this month! Ron’s not talking about his operation, rather he takes another look at the NBC News Today Show video on the MH Hurricane testing. Get some fascinating insights you or I may have missed!

• Award winning Steve Lefler joins us this month! Community owners, listen up. 5 years into Newport Pacific’s projects with Steve’s “Modular Lifestyles,” a pattern of success is emerging. There are reasons why Steve continues to attract an ever-growing following in factory built housing, but also from outside of our industry’s ranks. He’s changing perceptions, see how!

• Hall of Famer Ron Thomas Sr. returns! This time, not to talk about Louisville, but rather to open your eyes with a challenge to conventional thinking that may make you say, “Hey. I never looked at it that way before.” Ron has a way of turning a phrase or pin-pointing ‘aha!’ insights. You think that’s why the man’s operation sold 6000 homes? It is also why the nice MHC’s Ron developed are the kinds of places residents are happy to call home.

• Bob Vahsholtz, industry veteran, expert, strategist and author of Duel Curves, will challenge you anew this month too.

• Once more, we bring you the immortal words of Zig Ziglar! Our thanks again to Zig’s editor for making this possible. 

• Powerful, practical management and sales insights from Tim Connors! Plus some from L. A. “Tony” Kovach too…on different industry topics, like the 1.3 billion dollar MH deal that was announced just this week.

Okay, you get the idea! There are reasons why we have the most professional readers of any audience anywhere in the North American factory built housing world. We Provide, You Decide.  ©

With no further adieu, please check out the links on the best and broadest line up in manufactured and modular home trade journalism.

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