Aug. 17 Induction Dinner in Elkhart to Honor Five from Each Industry
In August, the RV/MH Hall of Fame will celebrate the 2026 class of inductees.
Each year, five professionals from each industry are chosen for induction into the RV/MH Hall of Fame. The 54th annual induction ceremony will be held Aug. 17, 2026, in Elkhart, Indiana.
“Recently, the Recreational Vehicle and Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame selection committees held meetings to review in detail all the nominations submitted for consideration of induction in the 2026 class of the RV/MH Heritage Foundation,” RV/MH Hall of Fame Executive Vice President Ryan Szklarek said. “We were impressed with the number and quality of nominations.”
Below are some career highlights of the five nominees from the manufactured housing industry, followed by the list of the RV nominees.
2026 Hall of Fame Honorees
Jim Breen — Alta Cima Corporation
Nominated by longtime employee Liz Sarsam, Breen began his career in 1991 with Prestige Homes. He was initially hired to furnish and decorate model homes, within a year was brought to the sales team, and within 18 months of employment, was the top seller in the company’s 14 locations. Breen was assigned as the manager of Prestige’s lowest performing sales center, a location the company planned to close, and brought the struggling home sales operation up to the company’s most productive. In 2000, Breen founded Alta Cima, a single-location liquidation center that evolved into one of the country’s most innovative and expansive home retail businesses, under the name Factory Expo, with 20 locations in 15 states and annual sales of more than $200 million.
Breen also acquired Dealers Network, a separately run franchise of home sales centers that provide opportunities for professionals who want to own and operate their own manufactured home sales center. Dealer Network has 16 locations in eight states. Breen is on the executive committee for the Manufactured Housing Industry of Arizona, where he has been a member and volunteer for many years. He is a Trustee Club contributor to the Manufactured Housing Institute and has been honored with the President’s Award through the MHIA. Supporting letters for Breen’s nomination came from longtime Arizona executive Ken Anderson, Terry Gleeson of Valley Wide Enterprises, and Adventure Homes founder Wally Comer.
“Jim’s career is a testament to his vision and work ethic,” Gleeson said. “He started by selling furniture and staging model homes before transitioning into manufactured home sales, where he quickly became the top salesman at his company. In 2000, he founded his own firm, pioneering internet sales and creating new ways for families to realize the American Dream of homeownership.”
Robert Blair Young — Blair Group
Young, nominated by longtime employee Cyndi King, started his career in the early 1970s as an executive with Citibank in New York, buying home loans and providing chattel floorplan lending for retailers. In 1980, he went to work for Intercoastal Communities in Florida where he was instrumental in the development of seven communities with 1,100 homesites catering to active adults. Young established Blair Group in 1988, and built his own business in the development of 55+ manufactured home communities, largely in partnership with Palm Harbor and Fleetwood Homes. He developed five communities with 3,864 homesites.
Young has served for decades, including in leadership roles, with the Florida Manufactured Housing Institute, and is a longtime member of MHI’s National Communities Council. He has won several FMHA awards, including the President’s Award, and hosts an annual charity golf tournament that supports the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Supporting letters for Young’s nomination came from longtime executive Joe Stegmayer, industry finance expert and advocate Dick Ernst, and CEO and owner of Murex Properties Steven Adler.
“Bob was an accomplished builder/developer who provided great value for his residents, and a community they could all be proud of,” Ernst said. “Most of Bob’s residents were long-term residents, and the same could be said for Bob’s employees. If anyone demonstrated what the best of an industry could be, it was Bob.”
Steve Case — Real Estate Investor, Educator, SECO Co-Founder
Case, nominated by Pentagon Properties founder and SECO Co-founder Spencer Roane, has been a real estate investor in RV properties, manufactured home communities, multi-family, and self-storage for nearly three decades, early on pursuing a series of “turnaround parks” that required extensive hands-on effort in the relocation of homes, home infill, utility upgrades, and operational re-engineering. The experience helped position Case to acquire a portfolio of more stable communities that could be a long-term investment. In 2003, Case founded Mobile Home University to serve as an educational and training platform for those who wanted to come into the industry.
He is a co-founder of SECO, the annual manufactured housing industry conference held in Atlanta, and has put to use his knowledge of the industry and relationships with an array of community owners/operators, transport and install professionals, lenders, and other service and supply providers to help build the event’s educational sessions. Case has dedicated years of service to the Georgia Manufactured Housing Association. Supporting letters for Case’s nomination came from Chuck Meek of Bay Acceptance Corporation, Paul Chase of Ironhorse Communities, and Mark Titshaw, of Stonegate Management Group.
“Steve’s passion for training and mentorship is a hallmark of his career,” Titshaw said. “Drawing on his prior military service, including 20 years in the U.S. Air Force, where he served in instructor roles, he has brought that same commitment to instructing, guiding, and empowering others in the MHC space.”
Evan Atkinson — Clayton Homes of Frazeysburg
Nominated by Shawn Carnahan of Adventure Homes, Atkinson has spent 43 years in the retail of manufactured homes, having owned and operated Williamsburg Square from 1983 to 2015, at which time he became general manager of the Clayton Homes home center in Frazeysburg, Ohio. In 2018, the Frazeysburg location was named MHI’s Midwest Dealer of the Year. Atkinson has been on the executive committee for the Ohio Manufactured Homes Association for more than 30 years, including several years as president. He served for 13 years on the Ohio Manufactured Homes Commission and testified on behalf of the industry several times before the Ohio General Assembly. Supporting letters for Atkinson’s nomination came from Tim Williams of the OMHA, George Gunnell, a regional manager with Clayton Homes, and Jack Zide, the current GM for the Frazeysburg location.
“I received the privilege to come work alongside Evan in 2018 as part of a succession plan (for him) to slowly step away from day-to-day operations,” Zide said. “The first day I began working with Evan I realized there were people and businesses that talked about ‘doing the right thing’ and ‘taking care of customers’ and there were people who really did it. The amount of integrity and genuine concern for customers that I have witnessed firsthand from Evan has shaped who I am and who I strive to be as a leader and provider.”
Jim Joffe — J&H Asset Property Management
Joffe, nominated by Maria Horton of Newport Pacific, has spent 40 years in retail sales and property management, founding both Home Quest Manufactured Home Sales, a leading California dealership, and J&H, which manages more than 100 manufactured home communities. He serves on the board of the California Manufactured Housing Institute, continues to dedicate time to the Western States Manufactured Housing Association, and has served on multiple municipal task forces in LaVerne, Rialto, and Visalia. He has been honored with WMA’s William E. Carr Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award from CMHI, and his dealership won Orange County Business Journal’s Small Family Business Award. Supporting letters for Joffe’s nomination came from Barry Cole of Manufactured Housing Insurance Services, industry attorney Michael Mihelich, and Keith Casenhiser of Bessire and Casenhiser.
“Jim Joffe is a strong leader and a deeply generous individual, dedicated to helping those in need,” Horton said in her nomination papers. “He runs programs in his communities that provide crucial assistance, including rental support and home maintenance services. His efforts help residents maintain their homes and preserve property values, ensuring the well-being of the entire community.”
The 2026 RV Inductees
Bob Been – Dealer
Affinity RV | Prescott, Arizona
Bryan Brady – OEM
Heartland RV | Elkhart, Indiana
Dr. Richard Curtain – Advisor
University of Michigan | Ann Arbor, Michigan
Gary Enyart – Supplier
Cummins | Maple Grove, Minnesota
Bill Scheffer – Association
MMHRVCA | East Lansing, Michigan
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