Gub Mix Was an Industry Leader Unlike Any Other
Where were you in 1991, when Gub Mix launched the first Manufactured Housing Congress?
Who’s Gub Mix? Well, visit www.rvmhhalloffame.org, click on Hall of Fame, and then search for the Class of 2018 to find the biographical sketch on Gub Mix.
There, two things stand out. First, as an executive director, he simultaneously led four state manufactured housing associations in Idaho, Utah, Nevada and Arizona! And in 1991, he planned and hosted the first Manufactured Housing Congress.
Gub Mix is now retired. He was a tireless and fearless promoter, as well as defender, of HUD-Code manufactured housing, often confronting critics, even calling industry leaders to task when he felt they’d gone awry.
Gub Mix Brought the Manufactured Housing Industry Together
There is some interesting history leading up to the year 1991. In 1986 and 1987, Gub Mix hosted meetings for Idaho, Nevada and Utah, collectively, in Reno, Nev. Between 1988 and 1990, he invited Washington state, Oregon, Alaska, and Hawaii to participate.
The first Manufactured Housing Congress, with new homes on display, was held during 1991 at Cashman Field in Las Vegas. It was open to the public and hosted by the Desert Inn. Soon thereafter, MHI expressed interest in supporting this now-national trade event. From 1998 through 2003 it assisted Gub with meeting planning, gradually taking ownership of the congress.
There are many interesting asides where the Manufactured Housing Congress is concerned. For instance, few know the International Networking Roundtable also launched during 1991 — but in Clearwater, Fla.
Memories from Earlier Congress & Expo Gatherings
Just about every MH Congress has played a role in the development of various programs and organizations. For example, early organization meetings, between 1993 and 1996, of what became MHI’s National Communities Council occurred during the congress under the leadership of Chairman Jeff Wick. And for several years, a group of Manufactured Housing Executive Women, including Susan McCarty of EducateMHC, Carolyn Allen of GFA Management Inc., Dee Pizer, MHM, of Zeman MHC, Christine Lindsey, MHM, and Chrissy Jackson, ACM, met informally to exchange information, share contacts, and engage in interpersonal networking.
And there’ve been experiences around which legends were born. Who can forget when MHI’s newly hired top executive arrived at her first industry event, the MHCongress luncheon, wearing a backpack? Or when tenant activists briefly interrupted a luncheon event a decade later? A personal memory, dating back to 1989, found Carolyn and me arriving at the host casino near Lake Tahoe, late at night, to find our room reservation had been given to someone else. Staff put us up in the gambler’s suite high atop the hotel, complete with a circular bed and mirrored ceiling!
Another time, preparing to meet with the original property managers of a new ROC (resident-owned community) conversion firm, I arrived attired in a suit and tie, only to find everyone else in very casual wear, sitting and lounging on the floor throughout the suite.
Enjoy the 2019 Congress & Expo in New Orleans
The Manufactured Housing Congress has a long history of bringing all sectors of the industry and realty asset class together for education, networking, and camaraderie. This year’s venue in New Orleans is the first location change in more than two decades. It will be interesting to see and hear what adventures play out this time around in “Nawlins”. Who’s for some jambalaya, red beans and rice, chargrilled oysters, beignets, muffulettas, or boiled Cajun-spiced mudbugs with new potatoes and corn on the cob?
