Celebrating 10 Years of Goal- and Solution-Oriented Manufactured Home Industry Innovation Information, and Inspiration for Industry Professionals

Celebrating10YearsGoalSolutionOrientedManufacturedHomeIndustryInformationInspirationInnovationMHProNews

You know the saying. “Time flies when you are having fun.

Perhaps with a certain measure of giddy confidence born after years of successful manufactured home industry front-line field experience – mixed with naivety about the core nature of key issues hobbling MHVille being internal ones – 10 years ago MHMarketingSalesManagement.com launched.

 

mhmsm-logo-mhmarketingsalesmanagement-MHProNewslogo

 

To better describe all that we did in publishing while still providing business development services, we rapidly evolved into MHProNews.

 

 

MHProNewslogoRedWhiteBlueDropshadowLogo

 

We launched in mid-October 2009, near the industry’s lowest point in decades. We did so believing that manufactured housing could do many times better than it was then performing. Then and now, we believed in ethical, sustainable growth that yielded customer satisfaction.

Given a pro-growth élan, within a few months we surpassed the readership of all other trade media, including the then claimed page-views of the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) as reported in their own media kit. Not long after that achievement, MHI dropped their self-proclaimed traffic report from their media kit.

ManufacturedHousingRevolutionBackCover
Just a few of the actual public comments at about the one year mark into our publishing of what is now known as MHProNews.

When the Louisville Show was cancelled after years of decline, who did that event’s leaders turn to in an effort to try a comeback?

MHProNews. We were the only thing that they did differently than in their prior years of decline. It was teamwork, as all success tends to be. But it was this pro-growth Trade Media platform of MHProNews that was widely praised by show team members as what made the difference in the show’s ‘resurrection.’  The statements for publication in the examples below reflect some of several such examples we could produce. There is no doubt what made the difference. You are reading from it at this moment.

 

BobThiemanLinkedInTimWilliamsOHMHAManufacturedHousingAssociationLouisvilleDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

 

Then and Now – What’s Never Changed

Our goal then and now was to create the conditions, best-practices examples, and the mindset necessary for a HUD Code manufactured home industry comeback. So, from early on, we made a name for ourselves, as the above examples reflect. Positive and pragmatic.

Fast forward to roughly years 5 through 9.

After deploying years of purported tricks, written threats, and other below-the-belt tactics — plus fueling competition that previously didn’t exist — the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis unsubtly fought back against our efforts at identifying the internal causes and needed cures for HUD Code manufactured home industry underperformance. In fairness, we were not alone in the effort for an industry comeback. There have always been others involved in the effort. Notable among them was the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), who thanks to some visionary members for years had called for the creation of a post-production trade group that they could work with to implement good existing federal laws, and thereby restore the industry to growth.  You see, it all should come down now to implementing good laws that are already on the books, and correcting the record about manufactured housing. It could be that simple. So why doesn’t MHI and their allies do those obvious things?

 

MHARRreleasesStudyRecommendingIndependentCollectiveRepresentationPostProductionSectorManufacturedHousingAssocRegulatoryReformMHProNews
https://manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org/mharr-releases-study-recommending-independent-collective-representation-for-post-production-sector/

 

Fast forward to today, a total of ten years after our launch. Have we lost our touch? Or have we lost our audience size?

Are there still any measurable results?  Let’s do a little walk through time to see.

During the last 5 years of a roller-coaster ride of behind the scenes as well as more public confrontations, Manufactured Home Pro News (MHProNews) retooled, sharpened our focus, and has proven – often using the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis and their allies own favored communications tools – to still be the runaway most read-trade media in all of manufactured housing. We do so in part with fact-checks and investigative reports – sometimes based upon news tips from white hats inside of black hat operations.  Those reports with analysis have proven to be hot reads in manufactured housing, by also by federal officials, investors, advocates, and other researchers.

At trade shows, in messages, and calls, two of the most common words we hear or read are ‘thank you.’  But honestly, that thank you cuts both ways.

GusRodriguezTejasHomesConroeTXIndustryVoicesDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews-e1516120612690

 

Part of what sets us apart is a ‘separating wheat and chaff‘ methodology of using what the axis and their mouthpieces themselves say, carefully analyze it against known facts, and thereby turn their own arguments on their heads.

For example. Darren Krolewski, co-President of MHVillage deployed MHInsider with axis backing to tout the MHI viewpoint. How has that worked? It has in some ways – see further below – been useful to us, but it has ironically proven to be unable to gather a serious industry audience. Surprisingly, we have demonstrated that point using their own data, plus visual evidence.

 

ExposeLeadershipTeamDarrenKrolewskiPhotoDatacompMHVillageMHInsiderLogosMarketingClaimsFactCheckInfographicAnalysisMHProNews
https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/masthead/expose-darren-krolewski-datacomp-mhvillage-mhinsider-marketing-claims-fact-check-infographic-and-analysis

 

That report linked from the text or image box above – click to access it or others on this page – documented what we visually deduced from the evidence at Louisville and Tunica Manufactured Housing Shows.

MHInsiderManufacturedHousingINdustryDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews
No matter how glossy and pretty, magazines that are not picked up are obviously not read.

As an advertiser of theirs told MHProNews, they are not planning on going back to them. Why? Besides arguably deceptive tactics, they produced no measurable results at a high cost. Ouch.

But that claim should have been no surprise. Several months ago, Legacy Housing’s marketing leader, Casey Mack said this on the record for publication.

 

CaseyMackTonySoheylaMHProNewsTeamFirstCallDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

 

Giving the leadership at MHVillage/Datacomp and MHInsider a chance to respond to those concerns and claims, what did they say? Nada. So the published reports, visual evidence, and analysis stand unchallenged.

What about Kurt Kelley and his MHReview?

They went from being a monthly to a quarterly. How is that a healthy sign? Sources tell us that advertising there was likewise purportedly ineffective, perhaps also because of still lower readership levels. Lovely package, but not much in the way of results. When asked why they weren’t fact checking the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis, the MHR’s own publisher publicly – and graciously – admitted they were not going to fact check MHI and their powers that be.  Here is how he said it.

KurtKelleyPublisherPhotoManufacturedHousingReviewMHLivingNewsQuoteFriendHoldMHIAccountableMHARR
Indeed, Kelley has contributed to MHProNews numerous times over the years, and has commented on political topics too. While it may not have been intended that way, Kelley published an article by Berkshire Hathaway unit manager Joanne Stevens, which without mentioning MHI, was clearly slamming them for what her article in MHR saw as a failure of industry preparation for obvious attacks on the industry’s community sector.

 

That statement by their publisher speaks for itself, but so does the obsequious behavior like this from him yesterday on LinkedIn, bowing toward Clayton Homes publicly.  See Kelley’s comment after the Clayton pitch.

ClaytonHomesAntiStigmaMonthLinkedInPostKurtKelleyManufacturedHousingIndustryMHProNews
If Clayton and Berkshire Hathaway were serious about industry growth, they have the BH Media Group, dozens of newspapers that could mount an effective public education effort. Warren Buffett is sitting on a record pile of cash. MHI has a full time public relations person. Tim Williams/21st Mortgage himself said that there was a good case to be made to refute every bit of inaccurate information. When their own facts and behavior are examined, what other logical conclusion can one come to other than this one. They posture efforts, but they want to keep the industry small. Why? Because it allows Berkshire Hathaway and their allies to consolidate the industry at a discounted price.  Links above are to this and this. https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/open-letter-kurt-kelley-joanne-stevens-frank-rolfe-manufactured-housing-review-about-senator-elizabeth-warrens-request-for-information-from-manufactured-home-community-owners/ and https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/manufactured-home-residents-small-businesses-affordable-housing-advocates-and-investor-alert/ As of early this morning neither Clayton nor Kelley responded.

 

 

In Kelley’s defense, at least from time to time he published an occasional article by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR), and one from this writer too. But after begging for submissions, he declined publishing the investigative report we asked him to, linked below.

 

SmokingGunEvidenceOfAntiTrustMonopolisticCollusionMoatClaytonHomesKevinClayton21stMortgageTimWilliamsWarrenBuffettMHLivingNewsMHProNews
Smoking Gun?!? In a series of direct quotes from Warren Buffett in context, a document from 21st Mortgage signed by Tim Williams, a Berkshire brand in MH Financing, and video recorded comments by Kevin Clayton, these all line up to demonstrate how independent retailers, communities, and producers – among others – where purportedly harmed by action that could be deemed an antitrust violation. https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/bridging-gap-affordable-housing-solution-yields-higher-pay-more-wealth-but-corrupt-rigged-billionaires-moat-is-barrier/

 

Why won’t Kelley or others tell via their platforms what the industry’s independents what they are actually up against?

Or ponder this. After years of love and hate from blogger George Allen, MHI reportedly cut a deal with that blogger to get him to directly attack MHProNews, MHLivingNews, and MHARR.

 

ManufacturedHousingInstituteLogoMHIlogoCommunityInvestorDealNewsTipExploredManufacturedHomeProNews
https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/manufactured-housing-institute-community-investor-deal-news-tip-explored/

But it is MHInsider that in a LOL, you can’t make this up comedic fashion, placed Allen, Ken Rishel, and a list of pro-MHI sources on their masthead.

 

MHInsiderMastheadContributorsPublisherManufacturedHousingInstituteMHProNews
Each of these writers are pro-MHI, on the MHI payroll, or have been given – per sources – ‘benefits’ from MHI.

 

To make the circle still of MHI connected information collusion and arguable favoritism more evident, MHInsider admitted that they “partner” with MHI on certain content. Nice.  But did objective and discerning readers need to be told? Isn’t that why their readership is so low? People vote with their time and reading.  But we value what they produce to this extent.  It gives us fodder for careful fact-checks and analysis.  Consider the newest one from MHI’s EVP Lesli Gooch, found at the linked report below.

Manufactured Housing Institute EVP Lesli Gooch, Industry Progress in Her Words, Manufactured Housing Improvement Act, and Enhanced Preemption

 

So, it’s not only a certain kind of drama that draws thousands of industry professionals here daily. But there is a Keystone Kops style slapstick comedy to be observed when Rick Robinson, Lesli Gooch, Darren Krolewski, Kurt Kelley, and George Allen each in their own way prove the very concerns and allegations raised by MHProNews and our sister site. You just can’t make this stuff up.  It begs for analysis and satire too.

 

Wow! Giving Credit, Interesting – What Rick Robinson, MHI’s General Counsel, Said About Zoning Battles

ManufacturedHousingIndustryMonopoly-Oligarchy-GeorgeAllen-PostedDailyBusinessNews
Allen, in the quotes above, is de facto pointing to positions that MHARR correctly took, but that MHI took the wrong stance. The purported choice of Richard ‘Dick’ Jennison, who is said to be communicating with Allen, of ‘George F. Allen’ as their surrogate is almost comical, because of Allen’s history of attacking the Arlington, VA based trade group. He’s not a credible surrogate. So much the better. It is dark, comic relief.
GeorgeFAllenCommunityInvestorEducateMHCSECOcoba7MonopolyConsolidationClaytonHomes21stMortgageBerkshireHathawayQuotesManufacturedHomesCommunitiesMHproNews

 

Don’t forget how blogger Frank Rolfe and his buddy Dave Reynolds – who advertise for Berkshire owned 21st and at times other Berkshire brands – have also ripped MHI on our pages or their own site how MHI and their failed leadership have behaved in problematic ways.

 

FrankRolfeMHIChairmanNathanSmithSSKCommunitiesHypocrisyQuote-MHProNews

 

FrankRolfeNegativeArticlesOnIndustryNoCommentbyManufacturedHousingInstituteMHIRVHorizonsMobleHomeUniversityPostedDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews

 

FrankRolfeDaveReynoldsRVHorizonsMobileHomeUQuoteSlammingManufacturedHousingInstituteMHI
https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/frank-rolfe-dave-reynolds-both-finger-manufactured-housing-institute-mhi-failures-in-writing-again/

You can’t make this stuff up. There is an abundance of evidence of ineffectiveness by the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis.  Once the scales comes off the eyes, it becomes self-evident. It’s also too rich, laugh out loud (LOL) funny — if it wasn’t so sad.

Sad? Why?

Because that cast of characters, some in fancy clothes, cool cars, big houses, or private planes and jets, have covered for or helped to some degree in arguably wiping out thousands of long-successful manufactured home independents.  They’ve arguably stolen the dreams of millions too.

MonopolizationAmericaDreamTellingInsideStoryHomeOwnershipGoneAwryManufacturedHomeLivingNews
Monopolization of American Dream, Telling the Inside Story of Home Ownership Gone Awry https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/monopolization-of-american-dream-telling-the-inside-story-of-home-ownership-gone-awry/

 

Harm to Residents of Manufactured Homes?

In doing what the MHVille axis does, they also created misery and anxiety for untold tens of thousands, perhaps hundreds of thousands, of residents in land-lease communities who are often tied to or operated by MHI members.

 

HBOJohnOliverLastWeekTonightMobileHomesVideoManufacturedHomeCommunitiesFactCheckMobileManufacturedHomeLivingNewsDBN
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/hbos-john-oliver-on-last-week-tonight-mobile-homes-video-manufactured-home-communities-fact-check/

 

For every decent video the axis and MHI produced, there are mainstream news or other viral hit videos that make the “big boys” behind Berkshire dominated MHI arguably look like ‘black hats.’

 

MHIClaytonVideosAttackingSupportingManufacturedHousingMHProNews
While Clayton and MHI posture ‘doing good’ to promote manufactured homes, a look at the facts paints a different story, doesn’t it? Note that both of the negative videos at top take aim at MHI member companies or firms with close ties to MHI. By contrast, the pro-manufactured housing videos get relatively few views. Is it any wonder that interest in manufactured homes is declining, per third-party’s Zillow’s data? How much more appreciation could manufactured home owners have if such viral attacks on the industry didn’t occur? How much more appreciation would home owners have – and how many more referrals would industry professionals get from happy homeowners – if lower cost lending weren’t foiled by MHI, Clayton, the Berkshire brands, and their allies?

 

But it turns out that a “follow the money trail” review of Buffett foundation donations and interlocking directorates reveals how Buffett bucks:

  • fund MHAction,
  • contributed to the original hit on Clayton Homes and their affiliated Berkshire lenders by the Center for Public Integrity,
  • back the Urban Institute and have Buffett as a lifetime trustee,
  • and has ties – all per third-party data – to Prosperity Now as well.
  • These are all examples of the dark truth of why manufactured housing underperforms that are hiding in plain sight.
ProsperityNowNonprofitsSustainJohnOliversMobileHomesVideoInTheirReportsManufacturedHomeProNews
https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/prosperity-now-nonprofits-sustain-john-olivers-mobile-homes-video-in-their-reports/

Only MHProNews and MHLivingNews dared to date to dig in, unravel, and reveal these ploys. The possible aim of those devilish tactics?

Experts note that there are barriers of entry, persistence, and to exit a business or industry.

 

Barriers to Entry, Persistence, and Exiting in Business, Affordable Housing, and Manufactured Homes

 

By fueling bad news, even news that hits their own firms, they diabolically dared to harm the image of the balance of the industry too. So, despite positive efforts by HUD Secretary Carson or others, the overall impression of manufactured housing is still a dark one.

Manufactured Homes Aren’t “Trailers” in “Trailer Parks” – HUD Secretary Ben Carson on Affordable Housing, Manufactured Homes, Zoning and Placement Barriers

 

While posturing to change the image for the better, per Zillow’s research data, the axis and their allies have arguably succeeded at reducing interest and thus demand for HUD Code manufactured homes. It takes either massive incompetence, or truly dark genius, to drive down manufactured home sales during an affordable housing crisis, doesn’t it?  So which is it? Are the incompetent?  Or evil geniuses?

 

ZillowHomeBuyerTrendsComparedConventionalTownhouseMobileManufacturedHomesCondoesDuplexesMHLivingNews
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/zillow-home-buyer-trends-compared-conventional-townhouse-mobile-or-manufactured-homes-condos-and-duplexes/

 

Who else could think like that, but the fabled Moat builder, Warren Buffett and his trained minions?

 

GoodBusinessIsLikeAStrongCastleWithaDeepMoatAroundItSharksIntheMoatIwantItUntouchableWarrenBuffettQuoteDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews-559x430

UnderstandingWarrenBuffettCastleMoatMetaphorsQuotesDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews
Since Buffett-led Berkshire bought Clayton, the industry is actually smaller today than then. How is that possible, during an affordable housing crisis, unless they wanted it to be so?

 

So in the 15 years since Buffett-led Berkshire bought into manufactured housing, the industry is smaller today then in 2003. Magically, for reasons outlined at the report linked here, Clayton’s market share grew from some 13 to 50 percent.

ShipmentProductionBloombergManufacturedHousingIndustryJune2019ManufacturedHomeProNews
Is there anyone who seriously believes that Berkshire Hathaway with all of its assets, and media resources is unable to rapidly turn the fortunes of manufactured housing around if it so desired? Doesn’t that leave the logical conclusion that they want this current downturn?

 

ClaytonHomesOakwoodHomesBerkshireHathawayMarketShareofManufacturedHousingEndof2003DailyBuisnessNewsMHanufacturedHousingIndustryProNews

ClaytonHomesBerkshireHathawayMarketShareofManufacturedHousingEndof2017DailyBuisnessNewsMHanufacturedHousingIndustryProNews
Clayton’s claim on their own shipments and market share has varied at times, see further below.

 

 

Competitors Boomerang

While trying to obscure their own data in public reports, ironically the geniuses at MHInsider provided part of the proof that Clayton Homes is indeed at 50 percent of the market, not 42 percent as the Wall Street Journal reported last summer.

WallStreetJournalClaytonHomesMarketShareInfographicFactcheckManufacturedHousingIndustryManufacturedHomeProNews

 

Despite years of posturing, the veil of deception and debatably diabolic behavior is being peeled back like an onion, one layer at a time.

Others in mainstream media have had similar findings. Note that these publications span the left-right media divide.

Examples of mainstream media references to the problems spotlighted by MHProNews and MHLivingNews:

But no one else to date has published the hard evidence of how that market manipulation has occurred, as reports like the one linked here laid out with the proper disclaimers in a step by step fashion. When Clayton, 21st, Vanderbilt Mortgage and Finance (VMF), Cavco’s Joe Stegmayer – a former Clayton division president – MHI and their outside attorneys were given a chance to respond, rebut, or refute the evidence and concerns, what did they do? A glance at the prior or current MHI Executive Committee reveals the dominance of MHI by Berkshire brands.  As an MHI member CEO told MHProNews recently, if Clayton pulled out of MHI, the organization would quickly tip toward insolvency. So what Clayton and the Berkshire brands want, they get.

ManufacturedHousingInstituteLogoMHIBoardOfDirectorsLogoMHIExecutiveCommittee
The satirical logo is used in part to poke with a lighter touch at a serious topic. As some have framed it, there are white hat companies at MHI, and black hat companies.

Repeatedly, nothing directly. But they have published through surrogates or on their own sites information that obliquely seems to be an over-the-target response to fact checks here, or independent efforts by the Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform (MHARR).  Because of MHEC member tips for our exclusive “How Gold Rules” report, we know that the state associations are largely afraid to buck the system too. That explains why MHARR got so little traction on their generous offer to fight zoning battles with states. See that linked below.

 

IncredibleShrinkingZoningProblemManufacturedHousingAssocRegulatoryReformIssuesPerspectivesSept2019
https://manufacturedhousingassociationregulatoryreform.org/the-incredible-shrinking-zoning-problem-september-2019-mharr-issues-and-perspectives/

 

Even with numbers of past or current MHI members blasting their own association, on and off the record, there is still more evidence. It comes from lawmakers who have raised concerns. They have asked various federal agencies to investigate. One of several examples is linked below.

SenateDems2020ContendersAskCFPBProtectconsumersAgainstPredatorLendersClaytonHomes21stVanderbiltWarrenBuffettLogophotosManufacturedHomeMHProNews
https://www.manufacturedhomepronews.com/senate-democrats-including-2020-presidential-contenders-ask-cfpb-protect-consumers-against-predatory-lenders-point-finger-at-clayton-homes-berkshire-hathaway-lending/

 

Here is another report that points the finger at the Berkshire brands, this time by a regional Federal Reserve bank.

 

Native American, Racial Minorities in Housing and Manufactured Homes, per FED, Harmed by Lending Practices, Clayton Homes, Berkshire Hathaway Affiliated Lenders Cited

 

Here is a request by Senator Tina Smith to her colleagues to investigate the troubling handling of Congressionally mandated DTS financing by the Government Sponsored Enterprises (GSEs) of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

SenatorsTinaSmithMikeCrapoSherrodBrownManufacturedHomesFannieMaeFreddieMacFHFA-GSEreformManufacturedHomeLivingNews-1
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/senator-tina-smith-urges-republican-democratic-senators-to-provide-greater-financing-access-to-affordable-manufactured-homes/

 

Recently, a tip surfaced the insights found in a related report below

 

Paul Barretto, Sr. Manager Fannie Mae, Manufactured Housing Initiatives, FHFA Lobbying Regulations, Duty to Serve, and Manufactured Housing Institute

 

Who is harmed? Millions who are trapped in rentals, and millions who are paying higher interest rates than they otherwise should. Or ponder the jobs that could be created, and the added GDP that is lost.

 

ValuePenguinFearManufacturedHomesSolutionAffordableHousingCrisis
https://www.valuepenguin.com/home-insurance/fear-manufactured-homes-affordable-housing-crisis

 

FearASolutionToAffordableHousingCrisisAndManufacturedHousingDilemmaManufacturedHomeLivingNews600x315a-575x302
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/fear-a-solution-to-the-affordable-housing-crisis-and-the-manufactured-home-dilemma/

What’s Next?

Manufactured Housing is the future of housing, said Alan Amy to MHLivingNews. That’s why billionaires and multiple-billion dollar operations are steadily buying up pieces of the industry.

 

 

It is a truth hiding in plain sight that MHI award winner Marty Lavin described as follows.

 

SoTheAssociationMHIIsNotThereFortheIndustryUnlesstheinterestsoftheBigBoysJointheIndustrysMartyLavinMHIAwardWinnerQuoteMHProNews-1

FollowThe MoneyPayMoreAttentionToWhatPeopleDothanwhatTheySaySpySea72MartyLavinYachtManufacturedHousingINdustryProMHProNews

It’s a sad reality that Neal Haney described like this.  So, no matter what MHI’s toadies may whisper or claim, this is not a tiny minority opinion. Based upon readership, many if not most in manufactured housing are seeing this troubling reality played out in story after story published here.

NealTHaneyNAMHCOWhyBreakawayfromManfuacturedHousingInstituteMHI
Former MHI state affiliates broke away and in 2018 formed the National Association for Manufactured Housing Community Owners, NAMHCO. They cited MHI’s years of failures as part of their reason for doing so.

 

 

How do You Beat an Elephant?

There is an old joke that you eat an elephant one bite at a time. By analogy, you beat an elephant like the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis in the same manner. One step at a time.

Who says? How about Warren Buffett?

WarrenBuffettQuoteCantBePerfrectCanAffordLoseMoneyNotShredReputationMeasureActWhatIsLegalHappyToHaveUnfriendlyButIntelligentReporterWriteFrontPageMHProNews

InBusinessWorldRearViewMirroIsAlwaysClearerThantheWindshieldWarrenBuffettMHProNews
See MHARR’s “Illusion of Motion” report, linked here.

 

Who’s praised MHProNews and MHLivingNews? How about Tim Williams?

TimWilliams21stMortgageCorpPriorMHIChairmanPraisingMHLivingNewsMHProNewsTonyKovach

 

Or MHI President Richard ‘Dick’ Jennison?

 

You can’t make this stuff up.

 

But we can report it to you and to public officials too. We can and did call the bluff of MHI’s outside attorney.

 

Lanham Act, Monopolistic Housing Institute, err, Manufactured Housing Institute, Legal Bullies, and You

 

The powers that be said they wanted to buy MHProNews. Whatever their motives were, it was a reminder to all others in MHVille that there are several traps, pitfalls, and swindles that have been at play. More on that another time.

Who did Warren Buffett support for the Oval Office? How did President Barack Obama reward Buffett’s support?

WarrenBuffettBillClintonHillaryClintonBarackObamaKevinClaytonNathanSmithPhotosDailyBusinessNewsMHproNews600
Warren Buffett is on a certain level free to do as he wishes within the bounds of the law and ethics with his campaign donations or other support. The point here isn’t who Buffett supported. Rather, it is that MHI, Tim Williams/21st Mortgage, Clayton Homes, et al claimed to be promoting Preserving Access, while Warren Buffett opposed any changes to Dodd-Frank which was the aim of Preserving Access. In hindsight, it was a grand contradiction, a purported deception in plain sight, a head fake. Think of the great con job that Bernie Madoff pulled off for so long. A few raised the alarms, but it took years before Madoff was finally brought to justice.

“You’re a Gutless Cheat,” The Sting, and Manufactured Housing

 

By helping Buffett’s brands build and protect his Moat with heavy regulations. The impact?

 

bigCompaniesLoveRegulationsAnticompetitiveEveryNewRuleLimitsAbilityCompetitorsCompeteBigBizLobbyDealRegsSmallBusinessCanPutOutofBizCarolRothMHProNewsQuote

JasonBoehlertManufacturedHousingInstituteSeniorVPLogoMHIlogoQuoteMHProNews
This should not be taken as a slam against Democrats. There were Republicans during the Bush era that failed to enforce good laws too. There is plenty of blame to go around. But the evidence of a plot that only needed a few people in places of influence to pull the strings has become clear. The goal of the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis was arguably to consolidate the industry without getting hit by federal antitrust or other laws.

 

High and complex taxes. Complex regulations. Bad news. Limiting access to capital. Fostering increasing bans or limitations on manufactured homes, all while pretending to support growth.

Clever? In a diabolical way, yes, someone could make that argument that the axis has been clever in consolidation of the industry at a discounted value using such tactics. It takes time to debunk or investigate. The quote from Samuel Clemens, a.k.a. Mark Twain is worth pondering in this context.  Deceptions are easier than proving their is a deception.

ItIsEasierToFoolPeopleThanToConvinceThemThatTheyHaveBeenFooledMarkTwainSamuelClemensQuoteMHProNews
This is a powerful point made by Mark Twain, a.k.a. Samuel Clemens. It takes more time and effort to prove the distortion or lie than it does for a person or organization to tell the lie. Isn’t that part of what a con job counts on?

But they didn’t count on a guy with a journalism scholarship who won awards in history that loves manufactured housing to study the evidence, and follow the money trail, did they?

With thanks be to God, to our supporters, and news tips sources – often from within the organizations allied with the Omaha-Knoxville-Arlington axis, the best is yet to come.

We start on now on year 11 of the industry’s independents, affordable housing advocates, and consumers true friend.

The reality is that some wear black hats and merit a legal beat down. Others wear white hats, and merit having the system working for them, not against them.

On behalf of all those who wear or aspire to ‘white hat’ status — All for One! One for all! Tally Ho!

Thanks for joining us in this crusade to right what has gone wrong within the manufactured home industry. Day by day we shed light on the opportunities as well as the challenges. As the infographic below reflects, the opportunities are tremendous.

But to achieve those opportunities, there must be a willingness to stand up to black hats in our industry who have arguably weaponized nonprofits, tainted the public perception of our products, and have harmed thousands of independents and hundreds of thousands – perhaps millions – of consumers.  The battle for fact over fiction is right here at the manufactured home industry’s #1 source for “Industry News, Tips, and Views Pros Can Use,” ©where “We Provide, You Decide.” © (News, fact-checks, analysis, and commentary. See more below the byline, notices and sign up for our free x2 weekly emailed headline updates.) ## See Related Reports, further below. Text/image boxes often are hot-linked to other reports that can be access by clicking on them. Third-party images and content are provided under fair use guidelines.)

LATonyKovachQuoteManufacturedHousingIndustryWontReachPotentialAddresscoreIssuesArtificallyholdingitback466By L.A. “Tony” Kovach – for MHProNews.com.

Tony earned a journalism scholarship and was recognized with the prestigious Lottinville Award in history from the University of Oklahoma, where he also studied business management with a perfect 4.0 and made the Dean’s List. Tony has earned multiple awards in manufactured housing and in history. He’s a managing member of LifeStyle Factory Homes, LLC, the parent company to MHProNews, and MHLivingNews.com.

Office 863-213-4090 |Connect on LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/in/latonykovach

Sign Up Today!

ManufacturedHomeIndustry#1HeadlineNewsMHProNews
To sign up for the factory-built home industry’s #1 headline news, click here or the graphic above.

Click here to sign up in 5 seconds for the manufactured home industry’s leading – and still growing – emailed headline news updates.

Related References:

The text/image boxes below are linked to other reports, which can be accessed by clicking on them.

Great or Gone? Obstacles and Opportunities in Manufactured Housing, plus Sunday Morning Headlines Week in Review 10.6 to 10.13.2019

RobertBobVanCleefManufacturedHomeCommunityLeaderDiscussesManufacturedHousingInsanityManufacturedHomeLivingNews
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/manufactured-home-community-leader-discusses-manufactured-housing-insanity/
18WideManufacturedHomeFloorplanSouthTexasMHDailyBusinessNewsMHProNews600a
https://www.manufacturedhomelivingnews.com/manufactured-home-resident-leader-asks-for-federal-investigations/
mas kovach mhpronews shopping with soheyla .jp

Get our ‘read-hot’ industry-leading 

get our ‘read-hot’ industry-leading emailed headline news updates

Scroll to Top