Gale “Gub” Mix, a pioneer in the manufactured housing industry and beloved community leader, passed away on March 16, 2023, at the age of 89, at his home in St. George, Utah. His wife, Carol, was by his side.
Born on May 31, 1933, in Moscow, Idaho, to Gale Mix and Doris (Brower) Mix, he attended the University of Idaho after graduating from Moscow High School. Mr. Mix had an illustrious career in the radio and television industry, owning radio stations in Moscow and Puyallup, Washington, and serving as the news director of the NBC TV station in Boise, Idaho. He then owned and managed auto dealerships in Idaho, Hawaii, and Mountain Home.
In 1972, Mr. Mix established manufactured housing dealerships in Moscow, Lewiston, and Coeur d’Alene, becoming the largest factory-built housing retailer in Idaho. In 1984, he founded Manufactured Housing Services Inc. and became the executive director for the industry in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and later, Arizona. In addition to handling all industry interests in those states, he lobbied for state and national efforts in Washington, D.C.
Gub was always such a positive influence on whoever he was working with,” Craftsman Homes owner and MHI Chairman Leo Poggione said. “Gub was also a very effective ED and he was instrumental in passing the most significant legislation in Nevada for manufactured housing. He always believed in the industry and would do anything to help.
Poggione said Gub was the reason he got involved in the state association and then MHI.
“He encouraged me to get involved and give back to the industry,” Poggione said. “I doubt very much that I would be chairman of MHI today if it were not for Gub.”
Mr. Mix’s contributions to the manufactured housing industry were recognized with numerous awards, including the RV/MH Hall of Fame induction in Elkhart, Ind., in 2018, as well as the MHInsider Visionary Award in 2021. He organized and operated the National Manufactured Housing Convention located at the Desert Inn Resort in Las Vegas from 1991 to 1999, when he sold it to the industry’s national trade group. In 1997, he moved his business office to Sun Valley, Idaho, where he continued as executive director of the manufactured housing industry in the four western states until his retirement in 2006.
He and his wife Carol later relocated to their retirement home at Entrada in Snow Canyon Country Club in St. George, Utah. In addition to his professional accomplishments, Mix was known for his wit, love of travel and cruising, and passion for reading.
Mr. Mix is survived by his wife and three children, Steve Mix (Ginny), Brett Mix (Laurie), and Nikki Force (Ron); four grandchildren, and three great-grandchildren. He will be dearly missed by his family, friends, and colleagues in the manufactured housing industry. A celebration of his life is planned for a later date.
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