Clayton Manufactured Homes Considers Texas Town For New Building Facility
Clayton Manufactured Homes (CMH), the nations largest builder of manufactured homes, could soon be employing nearly-200 hard-working residents of Wichita Falls, Texas.
Provided everything goes smoothly – and the Wichita Falls City Council gives their final approval on September 19 – the manufactured home builder could soon find themselves a major employer in the Texas town, adding a minimum of 180 new jobs to the local economy, according to a report by Times Record News.
Henry Fossheim the President and CEO of the Wichita Falls Chamber of Commerce & Industry, said the Wichita Falls Economic Development Corporation voted to allow Chairman Dick Bundy to enter into a tentative agreement with the Maryville, Tennessee-based CMH Manufacturing, Inc. The company is considering expanding its Clayton modular home operations to the former ATCO building on Burkburnett Road.
Clayton Manufactured Homes is by far the nation’s largest builder of factory-built housing, manufactured home sales and financing, with building facilities and retailer sales and display centers located in every region of the country.
The WFEDC has approved an incentive package of more than $1.1 million and will recommend that the Wichita Falls City Council give final approval at their next regular meeting on Sept 19.
Clayton Manufactured Homes: Texas facility originally built for Fleetwood manufactured homes
Florsheim said CMH now has 60 days to conduct their due diligence on the facility, which was originally built for another manufactured home builder, Fleetwood Homes. Part of the process includes conducting an environmental study, an inspection of the facility and more.
Fleetwood Homes opened the 105,000-square-feet Wichita Falls plant in 1995 with a staff of 70 employees. By May 1999, the plant boasted 270 employees with a payroll of $7 million, as reported by the Times Record then.
“It’s making sure that they fully understand what they’ll have to do to renovate,” Florsheim said. “There’s some work that they’ll (CMH) want to do. If everything works out the way they hope it will, and if the incentives get approved, then there’s a good shot that this company will come here.”
Synergistically aligned, Florsheim noted one of the primary drivers behind this Wichita Falls/Clayton Homes partnership is the existing availability of the areas skilled labor force and infrastructure. In addition to the simple fact, the facility was specifically designed and built for producing today’s high-quality manufactured homes.
Wichita Falls Mayor Stephen Santellana said what he likes about the opportunity is that Clayton Homes is a nationwide operation that would be coming to the city. The mayor added that it’s a good match for Wichita Falls, too.
“They are well capitalized,” he said. “They’re not one of these companies where they come and hope they do well. They have a nice track record of doing well.”
