In Recognition of the Highest Achievements in Manufactured Housing

George Porter has been in the manufactured housing industry for more than 35 years. In 1990, he formed a training company called Manufactured Housing Resources to teach proper installation practices. Porter’s guidance has been accepted in nearly every U.S. state and is used by nearly every manufacturer of HUD Code homes. Porter penned a pair of books on the subject and has written hundreds of articles for industry trade publications. He has presented to more than 10,00 professional installers in the U.S. and Japan. He is the national authority on manufactured home installation and participates in nearly all government programs concerning installation practices.

What do you view as the biggest accomplishment of your career?

Frost-free foundations were a big advance. Introducing setup crews to OSHA regs probably save a lot of lives and limbs but maybe the biggest advancement for the industry is that the quality of installations nationwide has been raised and there are now rules. This enables conscientious installer companies who want to do a proper job do not have to compete with a shoddy cheaper local bunch that doesn’t know and doesn’t care about what is right. It still happens sometimes, but the remedy exists in the standards and most of the governments around the country are using it to the great advantage of the industry as a whole.

What work or life skill do you give the most credit for your achievements?

Somehow I had the good fortune to find my niche. When strangers ask me what I do I sometimes tell them I am an interpreter… I translate engineering language into installer language. I have managed to convey information with demonstrations and videos to both engineers and installers about what each needs to do their job. There seems to be a dialogue between many of them now and that is a very good thing. Teaching and explaining these homes to people has been a real pleasure for me all these years. I hope the students enjoyed it a bit too.

MHInsider is a publication of MHVillage and is the premier source of manufactured housing news with a national audience of manufactured housing professionals dedicated to producing and delivering high-quality, affordable, off-site built housing.

In Recognition of the Highest Achievements in Manufactured Housing

Bruce Savage began his career at MHI seizing on the opportunity to modernize the logo and re-design all print materials. He was dedicated to the goal of improving the perception of modern manufactured homes and recognized that an updated logo and well-designed materials would reflect the industry’s evolution and ability to respond to consumers’ changing preferences in housing. The brand identity Savage developed for MHI lives on today, and continues to have a contemporary feel.

As head of MHI’s public relations and communications department, Savage advanced unique programs to showcase the industry and its homes. The Urban Design Project built the first HUD Code manufactured home in the District of Columbia, demonstrating the viability of manufactured homes in urban settings. The home was visited by staff of local government, regulatory agencies, and by members of Congress. The successful project was duplicated in several cities across the U.S.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Savage led the development of comprehensive resources to promote the use of manufactured and modular homes for MHI’s Gulf Coast Housing Initiative conference that attracted nearly 1,000 attendees.

During his career, Savage supervised the launch of Modern Homes magazine, MHI’s four-color, bi-monthly magazine that promoted modern manufactured and modular homes and spotlighted industry leaders, innovations, and current legislative and regulatory issues. He created media relations and crisis communication training for the industry that was utilized on both the national and state levels. He facilitated focus groups to uncover information on consumer attitudes, experiences, and beliefs about manufactured homes. Savage began MHI’s annual industry awards program that recognizes excellence in all industry sectors including from its manufacturers, retailers, communities, lenders, and suppliers. One of Savage’s goals was to build a library of photo resources that enabled MHI to better represent the industry in print publications and other media. Those images are shared and used throughout the industry today.

Bruce was exceptionally dedicated to serving MHI’s members and meeting their needs for public relations and communications tools. For many years, Bruce worked cooperatively with MHI’s staff, members and state association executives to advance the industry’s goals and in the process developed lasting friendships. Sadly, Bruce passed away in January of 2021. He is greatly missed.

MHInsider is a publication of MHVillage and is the premier source of manufactured housing news with a national audience of manufactured housing professionals dedicated to producing and delivering high quality, affordable, off-site built housing.

In Recognition of the Highest Achievements in Manufactured Housing

Dick Ernst has been in manufactured housing finance for 50 years and has owned his own business for the last 39 years, serving as president of Financial Marketing Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in factory-built housing finance — both chattel and mortgage —  as well as insurance and warranty products. He created a unique private conduit finance program through the Independent Community Bankers Association of America providing community banks access to competitive rates and terms for all types of manufactured housing loan products with the ability to sell the loan without recourse or servicing responsibility. In his career, Ernst has conducted more than 150 training seminars in support of the program. Ultimately, the program has had better than 400 banks enrolled and providing loans. He also created Palm Harbor’s captive finance company, CountryPlace Mortgage, and served as a consultant to Palm Harbor for eight years. He has served on many corporate boards and as a consultant for some of the country’s largest housing and home finance providers. Among the many awards and honors received, Ernst in 2019 was inducted into the RV/MH Hall of Fame.

What do you view as the biggest accomplishment of your career?

In 2016, I developed a topic and successfully got a panel together in Las Vegas at MHI’s Congress and Expo, it was all top executives in the industry at the time. I had a series of photos of HUD Code homes of all styles, Cape Cod; Southwestern Stucco, a traditional ranch style ranch home, all homes that you see constructed by site builders. I talked about The Louisville Show, and the amazing interiors of all the homes; recessed lighting, drywall throughout; stainless steel appliances; farmhouse-style sinks, walk-in shower… but when I went outside and turned around, I was still looking at a manufactured home. The industry had really done a wonderful job on the inside of the homes but had done very little on the outside! As you can imagine this opened up a wonderful exchange of thoughts and ideas! That discussion led to MHI appointing a Steering Committee of Manufacturers, the hiring of a housing consultant, and a focus group with studies showing that 47 percent would be favorably inclined to purchase the style of home we were showing — a market share five times of what we have. I was hired by Freddie Mac to work with them on multiple programs, including their CHOICEHome program, providing the same financing site-built homes would have. So, my greatest accomplishment is being involved in the early stages of what is now the “CrossMod” home.

What work or life skill do you give the most credit for your achievements?

I told someone once about the consulting business that you have to reinvent yourself every six months. I have studied the changes in the regulatory environment so I could provide sound advice and guidance. I have a high level of confidence and I am not someone who gives up easily. I think those traits have helped me tremendously!

MHInsider is a publication of MHVillage and is the premier source of manufactured housing news with a national audience of manufactured housing professionals dedicated to producing and delivering high-quality, affordable, off-site built housing.