Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/420183
DECEMBER 2014 14 THE JOURNAL Sincere Thanks to Friends, Critics and the Industry I Love MHARR VIEWPOINT BY DANNY GHORBANI After 22 years and 292 columns, this will be the last MHARR Viewpoint that I write for the Journal of Manufactured Housing. By the time that you read this, I will have announced my retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer of MHARR. Although I will continue to advise MHARR and its leadership on mat- ters of policy, as of January 1, 2015, my friend and colleague of 25 years – Mark Weiss – will become the new MHARR President and CEO, and will take over the reins of this column. Having spent the last 46 years serving the manufactured housing industry in one capacity or another in the national arena, there are many friends to whom I owe a debt of gratitude as well as my thanks and appreciation. One of the stand-outs among these friends is the Pres- ident and Publisher of the Journal of Manufac- tured Housing, Jim Visser. A staunch in- dustry advocate and media visionary with a well-earned reputa- tion for fairness and journalistic integrity, Jim invited me to begin writing the MHARR Viewpoint in July 1992. Based on the feedback that we routinely receive from industry members, we know that these columns have served their in- tended – and extremely important purpose – of targeting and analyzing key issues affecting the industry, with factual and accurate informa- tion, in order to keep all industry members ap- prised of matters in Washington, D.C. that affect their businesses and livelihoods. Writ- ing these columns for the Journal has been a unique privilege and for that I would like to ex- press my profound appreciation to Jim Visser. For the literally thousands of friends that I have had the privilege of knowing and working with for the past five decades – and especially each and every MHARR-member colleague -- I have been deeply touched by your support, your goodwill, your wise counsel and your constant encour- agement. In good times -- and the occasional difficult times -- I have been sustained and inspired by your thoughtful- ness, your wisdom, and the commitment that we share to our industry and the outstanding products that it offers to Americans at every rung of the economic ladder. There are far too many of you to name and recognize individu- ally, but please know that your friendship and camaraderie have made it a joy to come to work every day for nearly a half-century. And to our consumer friends, I offer a special word of thanks and gratitude for your insight and coop- eration on issues of mutual concern. Without your assistance, much of the progress that has been made in recent years regarding both the preservation and advancement of the federal manufactured housing program and consumer financing would have been impossible. As many of you know, I began my career in the industry when I was recruited by the Mobile Home Manufacturers Asso- ciation (MHMA) – the precursor to today's Manu- factured Housing Institute (MHI) -- while it was still located in Chicago, Illinois. Working as part of that team, some of our early ac- complishments involved watershed moments in the evolution of the in- dustry from the "trailers" of yesteryear to today's safe, modern and affordable homes. Together we were able to pivot away from yesterdays' "trailer parks" by planning, designing, engi- neering and establishing a new direction for modern manufactured housing developments and communities; establishing a strong and influ- ential 600+ com- pany suppliers group as a national force to be reck- oned-with; the development of national and in- ternational mar- keting plans for the industry, including the promotion and rapid expansion of the industry's two national shows and expositions, one of which (i.e., the then- national manufactured housing show in Louisville, Kentucky) was ranked as the 5 th largest indoor trade show and exposition in the United States for four consecutive years; and negotiations leading to the establishment of manufactured housing plants in -- and KD-de- livered manufactured homes to – international After 22 years and 292 columns, this will be the last MHARR Viewpoint that I write for the Journal of Manufactured Housing. By the time that you read this, I will have announced my retirement as President and Chief Executive Officer of MHARR.