Congressman Bill Flores VIsits Waco Plant with TMHA Members and Chairman

Back in February when I visited with Congressman Bill Flores in Washington, I asked him if he had ever toured a manufactured housing plant.  Well, today, a big thank you goes out to his scheduler, Jessica Harrison for contacting me about Rep. Flores coming to visit Fleetwood Homes manufacturing facility in Waco.  The visit and tour went outstandingly well.  Rep. Flores was very engaging of plant manager Ray Parma with his level of questions asked during the plant tour about everything from frame camber to shear wall design and how it impacted tie-downs.  It was a pleasure to all of us in attendance that the congressman genuinely cared about what went into our products and the people who made them.

TMHA Director DJ Pendleton, myself, and Gay Westbrook of the Manufactured Housing Institute, our national organization, made the trip as well as Don McCann, the manager of the Clayton Homes Waco manufacturing facilities.  We were joined there by Ray Parma and Zach Sanders, the GM and Sales Manager of Fleetwood Waco.  Rep. Flores met with all of us after the plant tour and discussed not only Dodd-Frank legislation and the CFPB but also things that effect manufacturing facilities such as OSHA inspections and health care for employees.  Ray and Don were able to provide Rep. Flores with the fact that between their facilities in Waco alone, there were over 750 constituent employees in his district and at least that many more in vendors that provide material for those facilities.

All in all a great visit.  My sincerest thanks to all who took time out of their schedules to be a part of the event.

Karl Radde, GM
Southern Comfort Homes
Chair of TMHA
karl@schomestx.com