For more information, 
please contact Laura Pisarczyk at
919-872-2740 or 
laura@ncmhi.com.

FEBRUARY 2003
US Congressman Robin Hayes Helps Clayton Homes Celebrate Safety Achievement

The Clayton Homes factory in Richfield, NC was recently recognized for a safety milestone of '1 Million Manhours without a Lost Time Accident.'

   On February 18, US Congressman Robin Hayes for the 8th district, toured the Clayton Homes manufacturing facility and visited with employees to congratulate as well as thank the Safety Committee for a job well done.

   "The achievement by our Team in Richfield is recognized by the entire company," said Marty Bostrom, Director of Safety and Human Resources for the Clayton Homes Manufacturing Group based in Knoxville, TN. "Only by holding safety as the highest priority are these milestones reached." 

   According to LaFonda Mauldin of the North Carolina Department of Labor, "this milestone safety achievement of 1 million hours was reached by only three manufactured housing companies in North Carolina in the last 3 years." In March, the Honorable Cherie Berry, Commissioner of Labor and Mauldin are scheduled to present an award to the Clayton Factory in recognition of this achievement.

   "The environment at Clayton Homes-Richfield, is truly focused on safety," said Steve Sutton, General Manager. "As pleased as we are about our recent accomplishments, the Team is not resting. The Safety Committee is focusing its efforts to provide employees with safety tips outside of the workplace. It's that type of outlook and attitude in our Team that allows 1 million safe man hours to happen."

APRIL 2003
Manufactured Homes: The Facts Continue to Dispel the Myths

Just who is living in the nation's manufactured homes? What is the level of their education? What are their interests? Are they satisfied with their homes? The answers according to the Foremost Insurance group, one of the nation's leading insurance companies, may surprise people who are not fully aware of the changing face of manufactured housing in America. The trends are extremely positive.

A three year study, concluded at the end of 2002, found the following:

· An overwhelming 88% of people who own manufactured homes are very 
satisfied, or satisfied with their homes.

· Mirroring the trend of other forms of home ownership, 63% of manufactured home owners work full-time or part-time, and 30% are retired.

· The household income of manufactured home owners continues to rise. The median is $28,500.

· 47% of manufactured home owners have some college education, and 18% of them have college degrees.

· Married couples, at 56%, make up the majority of those who own manufactured homes.

· Again, mirroring the nationwide trend, the average household size in manufactured homes is only 2.3 people.

· 56% of manufactured home owners have a personal computer in their home, a rise of 30% in just three years.

· The trend of land/home ownership continues. 49% of manufactured home owners have their homes on their own private property.

· The percentage of manufactured homes that are actually mobile is extremely low. Only 6% have moved from one location to another in the last three years.

Simply put, the owners of manufactured homes in this country reflect the face of America. For more information about trends in manufactured housing, contact the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute at 1-800-849-6311, or www.ncmhi.org 

Foremost Insurance can be contacted at http://63.94.12.219/market_facts_2002/

AUGUST 2003
Two Greenville Sales Centers Named as North Carolina's Retailer of the Year

The North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute (NCMHI) is pleased to announce R/C Homes and Clayton Homes, both of Greenville, NC, are the winners of the first ever North Carolina Retailer of the Year awards.

The Retailer of the Year awards were created in 2002 to recognize manufactured home retail lots within the state of North Carolina whose sales team show consistent involvement in serving NCMHI, its local community and the manufactured housing industry as a whole. The Retailer of the Year awards are split into two categories: Independent and Multi-lot. To qualify as an independent retailer nominee, the retailer must only operate 2 or less sales centers in North Carolina. To qualify as a multi-lot retailer nominee, the retailer must operate 3 or more sales centers in North Carolina (i.e. Clayton, Oakwood, Fleetwood).The awards were given out at NCMHI's Annual Convention Hilton Head, SC.

North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute Names 2003-2004 Board of Directors

The North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute recently named its Board of Directors for 2003-04. Gail Brown, Champion Eastern Retail, was elected to serve as President; Andy Miller, R-Anell Housing Group, LLC, was elected to First Vice President; John Beddow, DBJ Enterprises was elected as Second Vice President; Russell Duncan, was elected as Secretary and Wesley Layton, Layton Homes was elected as Treasurer. Immediate past president, Lynn Caskey, ATH, continues to serve on the Board.

Other officers include: Bobby Alberts, Clayton Homes, Cornelius, NC; Phil Brackins, Family Home Center, Youngsville, NC; Randy Miller, Future Homes and Realty, Inc., Hubert, NC; Clark Crowther, INA, Charlotte, NC; Ed Bowman, Chase, Winston-Salem, NC; Chris Parrish, Parrish Manor, Garner, NC; Vito Montaperto, Dana Hill Community, Hendersonville, NC; Steve Sutton, Clayton Homes, Richfield, NC; Jeff Mooring, Brigadier Homes, Nashville, NC; Joe Manis, Maxton, NC; Brenda Blanchard-Threatt, Piedmont Natural Gas, Charlotte, NC; John Shelton, Bennett Truck Transport, Inc., Mooresville, NC; John Burgess, Burgess Enterprises, Hubert, NC.

2003 James E. LaVasque Award Winner Announced

The 2003 James E. Lavasque Award for outstanding commitment and dedication to the manufactured housing industry was awarded to Paul Prosky of White Oak Park, Inc., Hendersonville, NC at the North Carolina Manufactured Housing Institute's (NCMHI) annual convention in Hilton Head, SC. 

The award, named for the co-founder of NCMHI and founder of Oakwood Homes, is given out each year at the NCMHI annual convention. The winner, a member who has demonstrated their dedication and commitment to the industry, is chosen by the Award committee, chaired by the previous year's recipient. The committee chose Prosky because of the uncountable hours he has dedicated to the success of the manufactured housing industry in North Carolina. 

As past president of the Western Chapter of NCMHI, Paul Prosky developed the Chapter into a strong and influential unit that has been vital to the success of the statewide effort. With the help of association members, the Chapter sponsored many outstanding projects which are still going on today, including the annual Showcase of Manufactured Homes and factory tours for political figures including city and council members, planning board members and bankers. In addition, the chapter holds successful factory tours for high school students, emphasizing both housing and employment opportunities in the industry.

"I feel truly honored to win this award, but all of the people who have helped me through the years deserve the credit," said Prosky, "I would not be here without them."