Real estate bargain-hunter mogul John Bushman of Odessa, Tex. started a used car business in Midland, in 1968 with $1,500. A year later opened he A-1 Homes, selling factory-built homes that grew to 23 locations and later included a factory making manufactured homes. The automobile business also did well, and he expanded his operations to include insurance for manufactured homes as well as a savings and loan association. The thrift failed in 1988 despite his attempts to bolster it with assets from his other holdings, leaving him with only his profit-sharing plan. He rebuilt his manufactured-home operation in 1989, eventually expanding it to 30 company-owned locations, 30 franchises and five manufactured home production plants. As gazette.com informs MHProNews, Bushman sold the company to Champion Homes but later bought eight locations back for much less than what Champion had paid for them. His 150 properties include seven hotels, four shopping centers, a TV station and six radio stations, and six office buildings, all in Odessa. He also has interests in manufactured housing industries including seven sales sites as well as oil and natural gas holdings. “Pretty much everything we owned but the manufactured housing business and the radio stations had been lender-owned or in receivership,” he said.

(Photo credit: Christian Murdock/thegazette–John Bushman)