WNDU-TV reports from Elkhart County, Indiana, that Hi-Tech Housing, Inc. will double its employee roster to meet the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) demand for 500 additional emergency housing units for North Dakota residents routed by the flooding of the Souris River this past spring. Based in Bristol, IN, this manufactured housing producer held a job fair Sept. 12 to hire 150 workers by week’s end to meet the rush order. John Guequierre, Senior VP with Hi-Tech, says, “Obviously, it’s temporary work. We’re looking for at least two, possibly three months of work.” Undeterred by the limited term of employment, over 100 people lined up for the jobs, some of whom had been out of work for several years. Guequierre says to compensate for the short period of work, employees may earn up to $1,700 per week. One of only three suppliers qualified to meet the government’s tight standards for interior air quality in emergency housing, Hi-Tech plans to open another facility near Middlebury, IN to accommodate production. Given the state of the industry and the economy at large, in this area long known for factory-built housing as well as RV production, the call for work is a welcome sound.
