Manufactured Housing Industry Honors Four Individuals for Their Work, Leadership and Service |
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The Manufactured Housing Institute honored four individuals for their outstanding achievements, dedication and service to the industry. The awards were presented during the MHI Annual Meeting awards dinner Sept. 26, 2016, in Huntington Beach, Calif. MHI Chairman’s Award: Leo Poggione, He also volunteered his time to serve in leadership positions at MHI and his state association. He is a MHI board member, has held leadership positions on the National Retailers Council, and has served on numerous MHI committees and task forces addressing some of the industry’s most challenging issues. These include lender’s best practices and home finance, as well as advocating for the industry during the Manufactured Housing Consensus Committee (MHCC) discussions on the Onsite Completion of Construction of Manufactured Homes Rule with HUD. Frank Walter Standards Award: Jeff Legault, State Association Executive of the Year Award: Jim Moore Excellence in Communications Award: This year, with a heavy lift from Robinson, MHI has tracked and documented local zoning and land use policies that restrict or eliminate manufactured housing. He has worked collaboratively with MHI staff and state associations to encourage HUD to update its pre-emption policies and take an aggressive stance on these issues. Robinson also helps the state associations better engage and inform their members through a tracking program he instituted for state legislative and county and city proposals related to manufactured housing. He then alerts the state associations which assists in their grassroots efforts. In addition, he is a regular speaker at state events to inform the industry about MHI’s federal legislative and regulatory efforts. MHI is the only national trade organization representing all segments of the factory-built housing industry. MHI members include home builders, lenders, home retailers, community owners and managers, suppliers and others affiliated with the industry, including 50 affiliated state organizations. In 2015, the industry produced over 70,000 homes, which is approximately 9 percent of new single family home starts. Visit us at www.manufacturedhousing.org; |
President of Craftsman Homes in Reno, Nev., received this award, presented by MHI Chairman Tim Williams. During the early 2000s when traditional street retailers were struggling and closing doors all over the country, Poggione was busy pushing the envelope of the retail sales center business model, learning how to utilize low-income housing tax credits, bidding on workforce housing projects, transporting homes on barges for projects in Alaska, purchasing homes for rental properties and providing customer services that in good times a retailer would normally subcontract out to others.
Director of Product Design and Engineering for Skyline Corporation in Elkart, Ind., received this award which is selected by the MHI Technical Activities Committee. He is chairman of MHI Technical Activities Committee and recently led a successful effort to convince his MHCC colleagues to support MHI’s position on the Department of Energy’s proposed rule on energy efficiency standards for manufactured housing. He is a registered professional engineer in four states and is always willing to share his vast expertise and assistance to help move the industry forward and make manufactured housing even better.
Mark Brunner, Executive Director of the Manufactured and Modular Home Association of Minnesota, received this peer award selected by the manufactured housing state association executives. Brunner was successful with getting legislation passed that changed Minnesota’s modular home sales higher tax rate to be in line with new manufactured and site-built homes. This parity could help increase homeownership and may create local jobs through increased modular home production. Brunner managed many issues to advocate for passage of this legislation including opposing views in the modular industry, the state losing of some of their revenue if the legislation passed and last minute changes at the eleventh hour.
Rick Robinson, MHI’s Senior Vice President of State and Local Affairs, received this award from the Manufactured Housing Executives Council (MHEC). This award was created to honor Jim Moore, the long-time executive director of the Pennsylvania Manufactured Housing Association and a tireless promoter of manufactured housing.
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