December 30, 2019
Wow, 2019 was an eventful year for the manufactured home industry in South Carolina. Many thanks to the MHISC Board, committee members and chapter leaders, including our Chairs during that period, John Bowers, and Joanne Polston.
And I’d put the talent and work ethic of the MHISC staff up against any association in the state. Thanks, in alphabetical order, to Clayton Evans, Gail Fallaw, Michael Lee, Shell Suber, and Andrea Westmoreland.
GOVERNMENT
- The Energy Star Tax Incentive for MH extended for another year.
- Defeated an attempt by HUD to take control of installation rules for re-set homes.
- Passed new edition of the International Residential Code for modular homes with all amendments recommended by members.
- Code changes approved to make it feasible and cost-effective to build tiny homes in modular format.
PROMOTING FOR THE INDUSTRY
- Launched the Retailer of the Month designation. A great promotional and marketing tool for members.
- Beefed up Social Media program with two Facebook accounts, one for members and one to promote the industry to buyers. Our messages were read by South Carolinians over 1.6 million times January through December 2019.
MEMBERS
- Offered over 20 hours of free Continuing Education classes so members can meet requirements to renew their license.
- Pinka Eppley and Ronnie Cudd were inducted into the SC Manufactured Housing Hall of Fame.
- MHISC Convention at the Hilton Head Omi Oceanfront Resort.
- The association’s Update magazine expanded from four to six issues a year.
PROFESSIONAL STAFF
- Added a full-time attorney to the staff. Michael Lee fights for fair zoning as MHISC’s Local Government Coordinator, advises the association on legal issues and helps members cut red tape.
- MHISC hired a Communication Coordinator. Clayton Evans holds a graduate degree in communication and is a web and social media expert.
- Government Affairs Director Shell Suber celebrated his 3rd anniversary with MHISC and Deputy Executive Director Andrea Westmoreland celebrates her 12th. I’ve been an association director for over 20 years.In association management, experience and knowledge of the industry is a huge plus.
The Roaring Twenties All Over Again?
The media used to give nicknames to past decades. This decade a century ago was called the Roaring Twenties because it was a time of economic growth and consumer spending. That’s the decade it became routine for each family to own an automobile. The efficiency of factory production made the automobile affordable for almost every family.
The 1890s were called the Gay Nineties. In later years people looked back on the era nostalgically as the good ole days in America.
Will they call this new decade the Roaring Twenties? They didn’t call the most recent Nineties decade the Gay 90s, so maybe not.
Many in the industry, though, believe the planning, creativity and hard work of our members in the 1990s will pay off in with our own Roaring Twenties in this century.
And successful years like MHISC had in 2019 are laying the foundation for growth built on better laws; cutting edge promotional efforts; a unified, well-educated membership; and a professional, dedicated staff.