Blog Posting # 811; Copyright 20 September 2024. EducateMHC
Know this! HUD-Code manufactured housing (‘MH’) is federally-regulated, performance-based, affordable-attainable, factory-built housing (a.k.a. another type of offsite construction). And land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’) comprise the commercial real estate (‘CRS’) component of MH! EducateMHC is the online advocate, official historian, trade term & trend tracker, as well as information resource for both business models, and to a lesser extent the recreational vehicle (‘RV’) industry. Access EducateMHC via (317) 881-3815; email: gfa7156@aol.com, and via www.educatemhc.com, to purchase Community Management in the Manufactured Housing Industry and SWAN SONG – a history of land lease communities & official record of annual MH production total since 1955. And my autobiography, From SmittyAlpha6 to MHMaven, describes personal combat adventures in Vietnam as a USMC lieutenant, a 45 year entrepreneur business career in MH & community ownership, as well as freelance consultant and author of many nonfiction texts.
George Allen is the sole emeritus member of the Manufactured Housing Institute (‘MHI’), a founding board member of MHI’s National Communities Council (‘NCC’) division, an RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrinee, and MHInsider magazine’s ‘Allen Legacy’ columnist and editor at large. He’s a Vietnam combat veteran and retired lieutenant colonel of U.S. Marines, and author/editor of 30 books & chapbooks on MH, communities, business management, prayer & figures of speech.
MH2X update, Better DEI, Project 2025, & RV book
MH2X. As I pen this week’s blog posting, the annual SECO Conference, in Atlanta, GA., is underway. I believe this is the 12th year for this seminal national gathering of owners/operators of small to mid-sized land lease communities (a.k.a. manufactured home communities & ‘mobile home parks’).
Not only is this year’s SECO Conference the most heavily attended to date, it is also the public platform where the MH2X initiative will gain major traction. As you likely know, the MH2X initiative encourages community owners/operator to buy many new HUD-Code manufactured homes for infill and upgrading of their properties – with the end goal being the doubling of MH production by year end 2025! During year 2023 the industry produced and shipped only 89,169 new HUD-Code homes. The 2025 goal? As just stated: 180,000 new HUD-Code manufactured homes!
How will this goal be accomplished? In addition to outright encouragement at the annual SECO Conferences, this year (2024) will see a new ShowSearch phone application introduced to the industry. Already, more than 150 manufactured housing plants across the U.S. have been entered into the ShowSearch database, and there’s room for more, via mountuswork@gmail.com How’s ShowSearch work? Community owners/operators interested in buying new manufactured homes for placement within their properties, and elsewhere, access the phone app to identify manufactured housing plants within 300 miles of their location. That way they likely have more choices from which to buy new HUD-Code homes!
A Better DEI. Some U.S, citizens, but not all, believe the quasi-political organizational framework known as DEI = Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, has gone too far in some arenas, e.g. higher education, various business models, and elsewhere. Well, a few pundits now suggest a new characterization of DEI, as being Discipline, Excellence, Intelligence! Robert Henry is the first public voice I heard voice this recommended change. How ‘bout you? A good idea or not?
As usual, I’d like to know your thought(s) on the matter. Gfa7156@aol.com
Project 2025. Yet another controversial topic. Project 2025 is a proposed ‘2025 Presidential Transition Project’ articulated by the conservative Heritage Foundation – but disavowed by presidential election candidate Donald Trump. In the most summary fashion it’s been described as a plan to cut federal spending and fire supposedly unfireable federal bureaucrats. In a more detailed fashion, some posit Project 2025 as a practical and timely means of 1) Securing our borders, 2) Dismantling the bloated administrative state, 3) Eliminating the Department of Education, & 4) Unleashing American energy. For more information, visit project2025.org
Again, your thoughts on the matter? Gfa7156@aol.com
RV Book. ‘Visions in Leisure and Business’, an international journal of personal services, programming, and administration, researched and published in 2024 by the Journals at ScholarWorks@BGSU. The editor of this 200 pages work is David Groves (dgroves@bgsu.edu). In the front material he credits the RV/MH Hall of Fame, in Elkhart, IN., as a collaborator, with particular gratitude directed toward Mike Green and Kelsey McDaniel. Here’s a summary of the content of this scholarly work:
‘The Origins of the Vintage Trailer Movement, Vintage Camper Trailers’ by Dal Smilie
This work is dedicated to Al Hasselbeck, retired curator and historian at the RV/MH Hall of Fame for 20 years; his contribution here: ‘The Birth & Growth of RVing as a Lifestyle’
‘RVs as Affordable Housing’ by George Allen, RV/MH Hall of Fame enshrine & hostorian
‘Our RVing Experience, a Short History of RVing, and Its’ Future’, by Carol Colborn
‘Life Style: RV Consumer Issues’, by Mike Wendland
‘RVing: A Simpler Life Style’, by Daniel Maul
‘Developing an RV Destination for Tomorrow’s Guest’, by Ed O. Bridgman
‘How Growing-Up Camping Became a Family Business’, by Steve Ruth
‘Trailer Restoration’, by Tim Heintz
‘My Lifetime RV Adventure’, by Mark Nemeth
‘RVing Data: A Review’, by David L. Groves & Kathleen Munger
‘Annotations of RV Sources with Comments’ by Margaret Bobb
The 200 page book ends with information regarding subscription to Visions in Leisure and Business, via Bowling Green State University, 615 Pasteur Ave., Bowling Green, OH. 43402
I’ve placed a copy of this book in the George Allen Collection at the RV/MH Hall of Fame Library in Elkhart, IN.
George Allen