Industry Leader Celebrates Diamond Anniversary
What started as a one-man operation behind the family hardware store in Phoenix, Arizona now stands as an industry-leading manufactured housing company with a mission to help solve the housing crisis.
Where It All Began
In 1965, Al Ghelfi founded Roadrunner Manufacturing, also known as Cavalier Manufacturing, and began building recreational truck campers in his father’s hardware store lumber yard. Working with a local salesman, Ghelfi soon had a steady stream of satisfied customers buying his campers. And that’s where it all began.
Cavalier Manufacturing, now Cavco Industries, was the beginning of what has become a great American success story. Cavalier, which solely produced truck campers at the time, grew steadily during the 1960s. But the gasoline scarcity and subsequent price hikes in the 1970s prompted Ghelfi to reimagine his business plan.
Americans had suddenly stopped buying truck campers when recreational car travel became more expensive, and Ghelfi knew he needed to pivot. When product demand slowed, Ghelfi’s business partner suggested they declare bankruptcy. But Ghelfi had other plans. He bought out his business partner and opted to move forward with building mobile homes — no gasoline required.
“We will be the best one-per-day mobile home builder in the world, Ghelfi was quoted as saying. “That’s all we’ll build.”
When Cavalier Manufacturing shifted from building recreational truck campers to building housing, Ghelfi rebranded Cavalier Company as Cavco Industries.
Cavco continued to flourish and broaden its market by producing manufactured homes. Ghelfi’s business was booming, and Cavco’s revenue quadrupled in the late 1970s.
Cavco Pioneers A New Market: The Park Model Industry
Cavco has a long history of developing innovative products and close customer relationships, so it is no surprise that Cavco led the industry in the development and production of park model homes beginning in 1988.
During this era of innovation, Cavco built for the outdoor hospitality industry, supplying vacation rentals, “glamping” cabins, cottages and other specialty projects to campgrounds, RV parks and other recreational hospitality businesses.
To date, Cavco has sold thousands of park models, cabins, and cottages and was largely responsible for the park model boom that first swept Arizona in the 1990s.
To better meet the recreational hospitality industry’s demand, in 2021 Cavco launched a new 118,000 square-foot-facility in Glendale, Arizona, specifically to their homebuyers, Cavco has become using solar power.
In 2023, Cavco partnered with a solar contractor, installing a solar array at the new Glendale park model facility to provide solar capacity to generate sustainable power. The rooftop modules and parking canopies produce approximately 60 percent of the electrical power for this temperature-controlled indoor facility.
“For our first solar project, we were looking for a way to minimize our electric costs in our first air-conditioned manufacturing facility. Solar energy is a cost-saving investment in every climate and helps us achieve our mission to build homes in a way that keeps costs low.”
— Cavco Senior Vice President
of Corporate Development Steve Like
From September 2023 to March 2025, this first project eliminated 1,400 tons of CO2 emissions, which is the equivalent of planting 27,500 trees or eliminating more than 8.5 million miles in driving a gasoline-powered car. Plans are in the works to solarize three more Cavco plants.
Cavco Partnerships, Expansion, Acquisitions
In 1996, Centex Corporation ventured into the world of manufactured and modular home building, choosing to acquire for $75 million an 80 percent ownership stake in Cavco. Seven years later, Centex exited the manufactured housing industry, and Cavco was once again an independent company, now listed on the NASDAQ.
Over the past two decades, Cavco has continued to grow to meet customer demands by hand-selecting and acquiring manufactured and modular homebuilders across the country. These acquisitions include:
• Fleetwood Homes — 2009
• Palm Harbor Homes —2011
• Chariot Eagle RV Park Models — 2015
• Fairmont Homes — 2015
• Friendship Homes — 2015
• Destiny Homes — 2019
• Commodore Homes — 2021
• Solitaire Homes — 2023
Cavco Names New President and CEO
After serving on the board of directors since 2008 and as chairman of the board in 2018 and 2019, Bill Boor became president, CEO and director of Cavco Industries in 2019. As a result of his passion for affordable housing and for the Cavco employees, his leadership systemically changed the company and impacted the industry.
As chairman of the Manufactured Housing Institute, Boor lobbies at the state and federal level for zoning changes and other affordable housing initiatives. He also testified at the House Subcommittee on Housing and Insurance, representing the industry in energy efficiency and environmental, social and governance (ESG) deliberations. Boor is committed to providing affordable, high-quality and energy-efficient homes for customers and to creating a safe, rewarding workplace for employees.
“I stepped into the CEO role of a very successful company,” Boor said. “Rather than continuing on the established path, we quickly redefined our operating philosophy, integrated our operating businesses and made an explicit strategic commitment to the development and success of our people. We’re a tighter and more aligned company with a shared vision of making an impact in affordable housing.”
It didn’t take long to see that Boor cared about more than simply growing the company’s bottom line. As an outgrowth of One Cavco — the cultural core values he introduced — this ongoing investment in Cavco’s employees led to extensive safety improvements, product innovations, and developmental programs.
Cavco initiated its Safety Now program in 2020. As a result, over the last four years, the company’s Total Recordable Injury Rate, or TRIR, has steadily improved. In 2024, 90 percent of Cavco’s manufacturing locations achieved a TRIR below the manufactured housing industry average of 7.7.
In an effort to tackle the affordable housing crisis close to home, Homes for Our Own was launched in 2022. Primarily funded through employee contributions and matching company funds, this initiative supports employees who would like to purchase their first home. The effort provides financial education that serves them for a lifetime, as well as contributing matching funds for homeownership.
Cavco also implemented Master of Craft, a structured career development plan for frontline staff that received an APEX Award by Training magazine. The award is presented to the top corporations worldwide that have set the benchmark for employee training and development.
In 2023, Cavco launched its Anthem series, the first nationally available, multi-family HUD-approved duplex homes. This product innovation marked a significant step in Cavco’s commitment to help end the affordable housing crisis. The Anthem duplex provides an affordable answer to what federal and local governments have been asking for by doubling the housing density on the same available land.
Cavco Grows Strong
With 31 production facilities at the close of 2024, the combined Cavco brand represents more than 560 years of manufactured and modular homebuilding industry experience. Additionally, the company includes 79 retail locations and employs approximately 6,200.
As the company celebrated its diamond anniversary, Cavco is introducing a new tagline — “Where Exceptional Meets Affordable.”
“In four words, the tagline resonates with customers and supports our One Cavco commitment to provide the industry’s most exceptional homes at affordable prices,” Cavco Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications Colleen Rogers said. “Our brand represents this commitment to build homes with unmatched value — and with the exquisite finishes and family-friendly designs our customers want.
“This commitment continues to be the foundation of our success and drives us forward,” she said.
In March 2025, Cavco aligned its extensive manufacturing brand lineup under the Cavco name, strengthening its national brand identity and recognition. This repositioning leverages the resources, experience, and vision of the Cavco brand with the unique, local expertise and reputation of the regional manufacturing facilities.
Additionally, the company is streamlining its product segmentation to maximize digital marketing effectiveness and simplify the homebuying process. Moving forward, homes will be identif ied by defined product lines rather than legacy brand names. This shift ensures prospective homebuyers, dealers, communities, and developers can more easily find the right Cavco-built affordable home that meets their needs.
“With Cavco’s growth and our focus on the customer experience, the time is right to rethink how we can improve the customer’s ability to quickly focus their home search,” Boor said. “This realignment to a single brand that focuses on product characteristics will transform how we go to market across our national manufacturing operation, leveraging our investment in digital marketing, and opening new national marketing opportunities. It’s a big win for Cavco, our retail partners, and most importantly, our homebuyers.”
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