Offsite Straight Talk: 2026

Changing the Code Is the Easy Part. Changing the Factory Is Not.

After writing two articles about how the Road to Housing legislation could open new opportunities for modular factories to build homes under the HUD Code, I decided to send them to several people whose opinions I trust. I wasn’t looking for compliments or confirmation that I had everything figured out. I wanted the kind of honest response that might expose what I had overlooked.

One of those responses came from Bob Bender, an experienced advisor to both the modular and manufactured housing industries. Bob agreed that the articles raised important observations, but he also reminded me that changing federal rules and changing the realities inside a factory are two very different things.

The legislation may open a door, but Bob’s response made one thing very clear: a modular factory cannot simply put a HUD label on one of its existing homes and declare itself ready to compete in manufactured housing.

by Jorie Wisnefski

The current wildfires in Washington have made me reflect on old fears.

As a little girl, I went through a phase where I wouldn't sleep over at friends' houses because I was convinced there would be a fire and I wouldn't be able to get back to my family. I understood that fire is a living, breathing beast, and it’s impossible to ignore. It still fascinates me.

As I thought about this week's Fresh Eyes article, I couldn't help but wonder about fire safety in the modular world.

As someone who has spent much of the last decade immersed in the wood industry, fire is never far from the conversation. Whether it's wildfires, lumbermills, mass timber, or new fire resistant technologies, the innovation question keeps resurfacing, How do we build safer?

For years, lumber pricing has been one of those things that factory owners learned to live with. It went up, it came down, somebody blamed housing starts, somebody else blamed the weather, and the purchasing department spent a few more hours on the phone trying to get enough material to keep the line moving.

But Canada’s wildfires are beginning to look like something more than another summer headline with pictures of orange skies and firefighters standing in front of walls of flame.

The question every factory owner, builder, and developer should be asking is not whether the fires will cause a lumber shortage tomorrow morning. The bigger question is whether the wood supply system we have all depended on is becoming less dependable for the next year and a half.

I think the answer is yes.

Every new business begins with a moment when someone says, “Let’s do this.”

For an offsite construction startup, that moment can be exciting. A new factory, an innovative product, a better way to build homes, or a service the industry needs can suddenly feel possible. Phones begin ringing. Someone starts looking at potential buildings. Another person begins working on the company name, the logo, and the first PowerPoint presentation for investors.

There is nothing wrong with any of that. But the first day a startup decides it is serious should begin with a few much more important questions. The answers will not guarantee success, but they can give the venture a far better chance of actually opening its doors and surviving long enough to matter.

When I wrote recently about the structural shift coming to factory-built housing, I expected some discussion about steel versus wood, permanent chassis versus no permanent chassis, and whether a stronger rim system could reduce foundation supports.

Those conversations happened.

But the comments took the discussion somewhere more important. They reminded me that the future of offsite housing is not really about replacing one material with another. It is about whether we are finally willing to design the entire home as one connected system instead of a collection of separate decisions made by separate people.

The floor system, the transportation method, the carrier, the foundation, the installation crew, the engineer, the builder, and even the homeowner’s impression of the home are all tied together. For too long, we have treated them as though they were not.

That may be the real structural weakness underneath factory-built housing.

I have watched manufacturing companies, including offsite construction factories, spend years talking about the next big thing. It may be a new production system, advanced machinery, robotics, software, a different framing method, a new transportation system, or an entirely new product line.

The conversations usually begin with optimism. Owners see a way to build faster, reduce labor, improve quality, open a new market, or get ahead of competitors who seem content to keep doing things the same old way.

Then the investment is approved. The equipment arrives. Consultants come in. Employees are told change is coming. A few months later, the excitement has been replaced by missed production dates, frustrated employees, rising rework, unhappy customers, and a bank account that seems to be shrinking faster than anyone expected.

Eventually, people begin saying the same thing: “That new system is what caused the company to fail.”

I do not believe that is usually true. More often, the new system simply exposed weaknesses that had been hiding inside the factory for years.

Very few people wake up one morning, look at their bank account, and say, “Well, I guess I’ll build an offsite factory this year.”

If that were true, we would have hundreds of new factories opening every month, and the housing shortage would be a much smaller problem. Instead, most people with a serious factory idea eventually run into the same cold reality: if you want to build something large in this industry, you will probably need someone else’s money.

That is where venture capital, private investors, private equity, and other forms of outside funding enter the picture. People tend to lump it all together, but the source of the money matters less at first than what comes with it.

Because money rarely walks in alone.

It brings expectations, deadlines, reporting requirements, board seats, opinions, lawyers, projections, and people who want to know exactly how every dollar will be spent before they agree to write the check. For a first-time founder, that can feel intrusive. For the investor, it is simply due diligence.

If I were about to put several million dollars into someone else’s factory, I would ask a lot of questions too.

The first article in this series looked at the opportunity now before many IRC modular home factories. The Road to Housing legislation may give them the ability to choose HUD Code production for certain homes, potentially avoiding much of the state-by-state plan-review maze and moving from approved plans to production more quickly.

That sounds like a simple choice from the owner’s office. It is not.

A factory does not become a HUD Code producer just because the owner decides it would be a good new market. The real decision begins on the production floor, in engineering, purchasing, quality control, sales, service, and even in how the company explains itself to a builder or homebuyer.

The first HUD-labeled module leaving the factory will have a HUD certification label attached. That small metal label will mean a great deal. It tells everyone involved that the home was built under a federal construction and inspection program, not under the IRC modular path the factory may have followed for years.

That change can create opportunity. It can also expose every weak process a factory has been living with.

Every once in a while, legislation comes along that appears to be aimed at solving one problem but ends up creating opportunities nobody initially expected. The recently passed Road to Housing legislation may prove to be one of those moments. While most of the attention has focused on increasing housing affordability, reducing barriers to development, and expanding housing opportunities, another story may be quietly developing that could significantly affect residential modular factories across the country.

For decades, modular factories have operated within a fairly predictable regulatory framework. Homes are designed to the IRC, plans are submitted to state agencies or approved third-party review organizations, approvals are obtained, and production begins. The process differs from state to state, but the overall system has remained relatively unchanged for years. Factory owners understand the rules, even when they become frustrated by the time, cost, and complexity involved in navigating them.

As I have studied the legislation and spoken with individuals who are following its implementation closely, I have begun to wonder whether some modular factories may soon be presented with a choice they have never seriously considered before. Depending on how HUD interprets and implements portions of the law, certain factories may find themselves able to pursue a HUD Code pathway rather than the traditional IRC route. If that possibility becomes reality, it could alter the way some factories approach production, compliance, market expansion, and long-term growth.

Every factory owner I have known wants the same two things from the people working on the production line, in the office, on the road, and in the field: loyalty and motivation.

They want employees who care about the company, take pride in their work, show up ready to contribute, protect quality, and do more than just count the minutes until quitting time. That is not an unreasonable wish. In fact, it may be the difference between a factory that merely keeps its doors open and one that gets better year after year.

But there is another side to that conversation that owners sometimes miss.

Employees are asking their own question, usually without saying it out loud: “Why should I give this company my loyalty and motivation?”

That question is answered every day, not during an annual meeting, not by a poster in the break room, and not by a speech about being a family. It is answered by how people are trained, how they are treated, whether their ideas are heard, and whether management notices the good work before something goes wrong.

There are certain phrases in business that should make every owner, investor, and senior manager sit up a little straighter. “We need to talk about cash flow” is one. “The bank wants updated financials” is another. But perhaps no phrase gets attention faster than hearing that the Board of Directors is considering a cash call.

A cash call simply means the company needs additional money from its owners or investors. Sometimes it is planned. Sometimes it is an opportunity. And sometimes it is the warning light on the dashboard that everyone hoped would stay dark.

The danger is not always the cash call itself. The danger is when nobody asks the questions that explain why it became necessary.

I have always believed that a factory begins telling you what kind of week it is going to have within the first hour on Monday morning.

The doors open, people begin walking in, coffee is poured, and before long someone tells you a delivery is late, a crew is short-handed, a customer wants an answer, and something that should have been completed last week is still sitting in the way.

That first hour can quietly set the tone for everything that follows.

Research suggests employees often begin the week with lower job satisfaction and a greater awareness of workplace stressors than they feel later in the week. That should not surprise anyone who has spent time in a modular or offsite factory. Monday is not simply the first day of the workweek. It is the day when people discover whether the week has a plan.

In a factory, uncertainty spreads quickly. If the framing crew does not know which floor has to be completed by noon, if the electrical team is waiting for an answer, or if material is missing from a station, people do not stand around patiently waiting for leadership to get things straightened out. They improvise, complain, work around the problem, or begin blaming someone else.

By Tuesday, what started as a small Monday issue can become lost production, overtime, rework, and a supervisor trying to explain why the schedule slipped again.

The Factory Takes Its Cue From Leadership

I have watched factory owners and production managers assume that employees should walk in Monday morning ready to work, and of course they should. But employees also watch what is happening above them. They notice whether the plant manager has a clear production target, whether department leaders are talking to one another, and whether problems are handled quickly or simply pushed off until later.

Fresh Eyes on Modular by Jorie Wisnefski

I've spent years around lumber. I've participated in businesses and careers being built around wood. So, hearing people talk about replacing wood is a bit uncomfortable and unnatural, but so is modular construction. It’s new to me. Just like robots reclaiming lumber was. And digital lumber trading. But being open to innovation and learning new things means there isn't only one answer.

Innovation questions something old.

I've worked closely with wood experts and have seen firsthand what an incredible material it is. So when I first started reading about recent changes to the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act and the discussion around removing the permanent chassis requirement for manufactured housing, I wasn’t sure what to think.

Steel chassis are one of the visual and structural differences people associate with manufactured homes. Removing it could create new possibilities, but it also opens many questions about its replacement, permits, and costs.

Being new to this side of housing, I didn’t want to form an opinion without understanding the conversation.

So I looked at two different perspectives.

Sometimes the Most Expensive Mistakes Never Make the Expense Report

At one of the first modular factories where I worked more than twenty years ago, I had a general manager who left an indelible impression on me. It wasn't because he inspired people, possessed exceptional leadership skills, or had a brilliant understanding of manufacturing. Quite the opposite. I remember him because he unknowingly taught me one of the biggest lessons about business that I've carried ever since.

Every morning, one of the production employees began his day by stopping at the local 7-Eleven to buy the GM a copy of the Wall Street Journal. As soon as it arrived, he shut his office door. For the next hour, there were no meetings, no phone calls, and no interruptions. He smoked at least two packs of unfiltered Pall Mall cigarettes during the workday, rarely ventured onto the factory floor, routinely disappeared for a two-hour lunch, and headed home around 3:00 every afternoon when production ended. Day-to-day operations were largely left in the capable hands of his sales manager.

Yet despite spending surprisingly little time managing, he had an uncanny ability to notice every tiny expense he believed was wasteful.

One morning someone stocked the employee break room with Bounty paper towels instead of the generic store brand. The difference was about a dollar.

You would have thought someone had stolen the company payroll.

For nearly thirty minutes, he lectured everyone within earshot about unnecessary spending until he finally discovered who had bought them. The poor office employee who made the purchase was ordered to take a dollar out of her own pocket and place it in the petty cash box to reimburse the company.

That story has stayed with me for decades—not because of the paper towels, but because of what happened while everyone was focused on saving a dollar.

The Dollars Nobody Was Counting

While the break room drama unfolded, the factory experienced production delays, engineering revisions, scheduling conflicts, and communication breakdowns that probably cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars every single week. Those losses rarely became topics of discussion because they weren't as visible as a roll of premium paper towels.

The ROAD to Housing Act has opened a door. Now the industry has to decide what to build through it.

Last week, Congress passed the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act, and one provision may prove more important to factory-built housing than many people realize. HUD Code manufactured homes will no longer be required to have a permanent steel chassis.

That does not mean every manufactured home will suddenly leave the factory without one. It means the industry now has a choice it has not had before.

For decades, the permanent chassis was part of the identity of a HUD Code home. It carried the home down the highway, supported it at the site, and remained underneath it forever. It was practical, familiar, and required. But it also created limitations in foundation design, installation, transportation costs, resale perception, and even the way some local officials viewed manufactured housing.

Now that requirement has changed.

There comes a moment in almost every offsite company when the owner has to make a decision that has nothing to do with buying another CNC machine, expanding the factory, or hiring another salesperson. It's a much more personal decision than that. The real question is whether you're going to continue managing yesterday's company or begin leading the company your employees need today.

Your company is already telling you what it needs. Your employees are waiting to see what you'll do next. Become the leader your company needs today.

During the past four decades, I've watched owners spend months trying to solve production bottlenecks, cash flow shortages, labor issues, scheduling conflicts, and customer complaints. They hold meetings, form committees, rewrite procedures, and hire consultants, hoping that one more discussion will finally produce the breakthrough they're looking for. Sometimes those efforts help, but more often they simply delay the one thing that actually has to change—leadership.

Companies rarely transform because someone creates a new policy manual. They transform because the owner begins leading differently. When leadership changes, culture changes. When culture changes, people begin thinking differently, working differently, and solving problems differently. That's when the company begins moving forward again.

Innovation Doesn't Die Overnight

One of the earliest signs that a company is losing traction is the gradual disappearance of innovation. It doesn't happen because employees suddenly run out of ideas. In fact, they probably have more ideas than ever. What changes is their willingness to share them. After hearing "We've always done it this way," "We don't have time," or "Let's talk about it next quarter" enough times, they simply stop speaking up.

By Jorie Wisnefski

One of the things I love most about learning a new industry is finding the unexpected.

I was on a call last week with folks in both the modular construction and modular transportation worlds. I was excited to hear them talk about reuse.

I hadn’t expected it. Old trailers, wheels that have been around for years, and equipment that's repaired instead of replaced is the norm. Coming from the sustainability world, I love it. Reuse has always made sense to me. Why throw something away if it still has life left in it?

I know farmers who can fix almost anything with the right part and enough determination. It's resourceful. It's practical. And it's refreshing in a country that often treats most things as disposable.

I thought, This is great.

But then I started asking questions.

Ask someone outside the offsite construction industry what keeps factory owners awake at night, and they'll probably tell you it's a lack of sales. They imagine empty production lines, idle workers, and a sales team desperately chasing the next order. While those concerns are certainly real, they aren't the ones that would worry me the most if I owned a factory or held a controlling interest in one.

My greatest concern would be cash flow.

That may surprise people who assume that a factory with a full production schedule is automatically healthy. In reality, I've seen factories with six months of work under contract, a backlog everyone envied, and production lines operating at full capacity suddenly struggle to make payroll. From the outside, they looked like thriving businesses. Behind closed office doors, however, management was trying to figure out how to cover next week's expenses.

Busy Can Be Expensive

One of the great misconceptions about manufacturing is that more work automatically means more financial security. In many cases, the opposite is true. Every new project requires a significant investment long before the customer makes the next payment. Materials have to be purchased, suppliers have to be paid, employees expect their paychecks every Friday, and utility bills, insurance premiums, equipment payments, and taxes continue arriving on schedule regardless of when receivables come in.

As production ramps up, so does the amount of cash tied up in inventory, labor, and work in progress. A growing backlog often increases financial pressure rather than relieving it, as the factory is financing much of the production until customer payments catch up.

For years, the offsite construction industry has talked about its aging workforce, the loss of experienced tradespeople, and the difficulty of attracting young people into factories. We attend conferences, form committees, write reports, and continue asking where the next generation of production workers, designers, engineers, supervisors, and innovators will come from.

One of the challenges modular factories occasionally face isn't about quality, production speed, or transportation. It's much simpler than that. A builder or developer walks in with a set of plans and says, "We want 12-foot ceilings."

For many factories, that's where the conversation changes.

For decades, modular construction has earned its reputation by producing high-quality homes in controlled factory environments. Precision engineering, consistent craftsmanship, and efficient production have become the industry's calling cards. Yet once a module leaves the factory, another story begins—one that receives far less attention.

Transportation.

It's rarely the topic of conference presentations or marketing campaigns, but it remains one of the biggest operational challenges facing modular manufacturers.

What happens when your youngest employees tell the world what it's really like to work for you?

For decades, what happened inside an offsite factory generally stayed there. Unless a customer toured the plant or a supplier visited for the day, very few people knew what the work environment was really like. Prospective employees learned about a company through its website, a recruiter, or word of mouth. That was about it.

That's changing, and it's not because companies suddenly became more transparent.

It's because Gen Z did.

There was a time when hiring in the offsite construction industry meant knowing someone who knew someone. A factory owner would make a few phone calls, ask around at an industry meeting, or hope that the right person happened to walk through the front door.

Those days are disappearing.

Today's offsite construction industry is expanding in every direction. New factories are opening, existing operations are adding production capacity, suppliers are growing, and technology continues to reshape how homes and buildings are designed, manufactured, transported, and installed. As opportunities increase, so does the demand for experienced professionals who understand this unique business.

Finding those people isn't getting any easier.

The industry's biggest challenge isn't simply finding workers. It's finding leaders, engineers, production managers, sales professionals, estimators, and specialists who already understand the pace and complexities of modular and manufactured construction. Experience matters, and companies that wait until they're desperate to hire often discover that the best candidates have already accepted opportunities elsewhere.

At the same time, highly qualified professionals are quietly looking for their next challenge. Some are ready for greater responsibility. Others want to relocate, join a stronger organization, or join a company that shares their long-term vision. Connecting those talented individuals with the right employer has never been more important.

That's why this monthly career listing has become such a valuable industry resource.

If you're looking to expand your team—or if you're considering your next career move—the opportunities below deserve a closer look.

For additional information about any open position or active candidate, contact Taylor Gromann at 817-733-3300 or Taylor.Gromann@LGARecruiters.com.

Open Positions

Executive / Financial

General Manager | HUD / MOD | Confidential
VP of Sales & Marketing | MOD | Confidential
Director of Field Operations | MOD | West Coast

Production / Operations

Senior Production Manager | MOD | South Central
Production Manager | HUD / MOD | Southeast
Production Manager | HUD / MOD | Pacific Northwest
Project Manager | MOD | West Coast (Hybrid)
Assistant Production Manager | MOD | Pacific Northwest
Production Supervisor | HUD / MOD | Southwest

Engineering / Architectural

Engineering Manager | MOD | Midwest
Engineering Manager | MOD | South Central
CAD & Revit Design Engineer | MOD | West Coast (Hybrid)
CAD Drafter | MOD | South Central
CAD Drafter | MOD | Remote

Sales / Marketing

Territory Sales Representative | MOD | East Coast (Hybrid/Remote)
Business Development | Wood Products | Northeast

Materials / Purchasing / Estimating

Supply Chain Manager | MOD | South Central

Quality / Service

Quality Manager | HUD / MOD | Southeast
Quality Manager | MOD | South Central
Quality Manager | MOD | Northeast
Safety Manager | MOD | Midwest

Active Candidates

The following experienced professionals are actively exploring new career opportunities.

Executive / Financial

VP of Operations | HUD / MOD | Open
VP of Engineering & Supply Chain | MOD | Open
VP of Manufacturing / Production | MOD | Utah
Director of Operations | MOD | Southeast

Production / Operations

Production Manager | HUD / MOD | Tennessee
Production Manager | MOD | Open
Assistant Production Manager | HUD / MOD | Open

Engineering / Architectural

CAD Drafter | MOD | Texas
Revit & CAD Drafter | MOD | Remote Only

For confidential information regarding any of these candidates or open positions, contact Taylor Gromann at 817-733-3300 or Taylor.Gromann@LGARecruiters.com.

Gary's Observation

I've watched this industry long enough to know that factories don't succeed simply by buying better equipment or expanding their production lines. They succeed because they find the right people at the right time. One exceptional production manager, engineering leader, salesperson, or operations executive can completely change the trajectory of a company.

If you've been waiting for the perfect time to add someone to your team—or to make a career move yourself—this may be it. The offsite industry isn't slowing down, and the companies that continue investing in talented people today will be the ones leading the industry tomorrow.

When Your Personal Check Engine Light Comes On

We've all been there.

You're driving along, everything seems fine, and suddenly that little amber Check Engine light appears on your dashboard. Your first reaction usually isn't concern. It's frustration.

"Not now. I don't have time for this."

For the past year, I've watched the offsite construction industry react to artificial intelligence in one of two ways. Some people believe AI is about to replace designers, engineers, and factory workers. Others dismiss it as another technology fad that will disappear once the excitement fades.

I think both groups are missing the point.

The biggest opportunity for AI in our industry isn't building smarter robots or designing homes with the click of a button. Those ideas make for great conference presentations, but they don't solve the problems factory owners are wrestling with this morning.

The real value of AI is much less glamorous—and far more practical. It helps companies eliminate repetitive work, organize information, communicate better, and make faster decisions. None of that requires a multimillion-dollar investment or a team of software developers. Most of it can be implemented with tools that are already available today.

If I were walking into a modular or manufactured housing factory tomorrow as a consultant, these are the first places I'd recommend using AI.

Stop Searching and Start Finding

Every factory has valuable information scattered everywhere. Engineering drawings are stored on one server. Customer specifications are buried in email threads. Installation manuals are tucked away in shared folders, and someone in engineering always seems to know the answer—but only after you interrupt them for the fifth time that day.

Imagine giving every employee the ability to ask a simple question in plain English and immediately receive the correct answer from the company's own documents. Instead of spending twenty minutes hunting for a specification or asking three different people, the answer appears in seconds.

That doesn't replace engineers or production managers. It simply allows them to spend more time solving new problems instead of answering the same old questions.

Make Customer Communication Easier

Most salespeople don't spend enough time selling. They spend an incredible amount of time writing emails, preparing updates, following up on proposals, answering repetitive questions, and explaining production schedules.

AI can draft proposal follow-ups, customer updates, shipping notices, installation instructions, warranty responses, and routine correspondence in minutes. The salesperson still reviews everything before it goes out, but instead of staring at a blank screen, they're editing a well-written draft.

Better communication often means happier customers and more time to build relationships.

Turn Meetings into Action

Factories hold meetings every day. Unfortunately, many of those meetings end with vague notes, forgotten assignments, and promises that disappear before anyone gets back to the office.

Today's AI tools can record meetings, summarize discussions, identify action items, assign responsibilities, and draft follow-up emails before everyone has even left the conference room.

Nothing revolutionary happens here. People simply stop forgetting what they agreed to do.

Speed Up Proposals Without Sacrificing Quality

Many companies still build proposals by copying old Word documents, searching previous estimates, and updating outdated pricing sheets. It's a process that consumes valuable time and often leads to inconsistencies.

AI can assemble customized proposal drafts using company information, project specifications, engineering capabilities, transportation details, schedules, and approved language. Salespeople retain complete control over the final document, but they start with a strong first draft rather than an empty page.

That means proposals get out the door faster without lowering their quality.

Market Your Company Consistently

Here's one area where I see enormous opportunity because so few companies are taking advantage of it.

Most offsite companies know they should publish articles, update their websites, post on LinkedIn, send newsletters, write press releases, and answer frequently asked questions. They simply never find the time.

AI can help produce the first draft of nearly all that content. It doesn't replace industry knowledge or experience, but it dramatically shortens the time required to share that expertise with the marketplace.

Companies that consistently educate the market are usually remembered long before companies that only advertise.

Preserve the Knowledge That Walks Out the Door

Every factory has experienced employees who know things that were never written down. They understand production shortcuts, installation techniques, customer preferences, and countless lessons learned over decades.

Unfortunately, when those employees retire, much of that knowledge leaves with them.

AI makes it surprisingly easy to capture that experience. Record a conversation with a veteran employee explaining how they solve a recurring problem, and AI can convert it into standard operating procedures, training manuals, checklists, and onboarding documents that future employees can actually use.

That's one of the smartest investments any factory can make.

Help Estimators Make Better Decisions

Estimators spend countless hours reviewing past projects, trying to remember where similar jobs were completed and what challenges were encountered.

AI can search years of company history almost instantly, locating comparable projects while highlighting labor assumptions, engineering modifications, transportation issues, material selections, and production concerns.

The estimator still makes all the important decisions. AI simply becomes an incredibly fast research assistant.

Improve Hiring and Training

Finding skilled employees continues to be one of the industry's greatest challenges. While AI won't magically create experienced workers, it can reduce the administrative workload associated with hiring.

Job descriptions, interview questions, onboarding documents, orientation materials, and training guides can all be created much more quickly, allowing managers to spend more time evaluating people instead of preparing paperwork.

Stay Ahead Instead of Catching Up

Perhaps one of the most overlooked applications is using AI to monitor the outside world.

Instead of manually checking dozens of websites every day, AI can monitor building code changes, housing legislation, grant opportunities, competitor announcements, industry news, research papers, and market developments. Every morning, decision-makers receive a concise summary of only the information that matters to them.

That doesn't replace good judgment. It simply gives leaders better information sooner.

Where AI Still Doesn't Belong

It's equally important to understand what AI should not be doing today.

I wouldn't trust AI to engineer a modular home without human review. It shouldn't certify structural calculations, guarantee code compliance, negotiate contracts, manage production independently, or replace experienced factory managers.

Those responsibilities require judgment that only experienced professionals can provide.

AI is a tool—not a substitute for wisdom.

Gary's Observation

I believe we've been asking the wrong question about artificial intelligence. Instead of wondering whether AI will replace people, we should ask how it can eliminate the repetitive work that keeps talented people from doing what they do best.

An engineer wants to solve engineering problems, not spend half the day answering the same questions. A salesperson wants to build relationships, not rewrite identical emails. A plant manager wants to improve production, not chase meeting notes or search for information buried in old files. Those are the places where AI can make an immediate difference.

The factories that gain the greatest advantage over the next few years probably won't be the ones with the flashiest technology or the biggest AI budget. They'll be the companies that quietly use today's tools to save an hour here, eliminate unnecessary paperwork there, preserve decades of institutional knowledge, communicate more effectively, and make better-informed decisions every single day.

Ironically, artificial intelligence may prove to be most valuable because it gives experienced people more time to use their own intelligence. That's not a futuristic dream. It's an opportunity that's sitting on the table right now for every offsite company willing to pick it up.

The Future of Modular Construction Isn't Waiting. Is the Industry Ready?

For more than thirty years, I've watched modular construction ride the same roller coaster. Every few years, someone proclaims that this is finally modular's moment. New technologies emerge, investors pour in, government agencies take notice, and the industry begins talking about rapid growth. Then, just as quickly, a few projects stumble, critics declare modular "doesn't work," and the excitement fades until the next cycle begins.

I've come to believe we've been asking the wrong question all along. Instead of wondering why modular hasn't dominated the construction industry, we should be asking whether the people using modular are truly prepared to take advantage of what it offers. That's a much tougher question to answer because it requires looking inward rather than pointing fingers at factories, transportation companies, or marketing departments.

The good news is that modular construction has never had more opportunity than it does today. Advances in automation, robotics, software, transportation systems, and manufacturing techniques are opening doors that didn't exist just a few years ago. But technology alone won't transform the industry. Readiness will.

Success Starts Long Before Production Begins

One of the biggest misconceptions about modular construction is that it's simply another way to build a building. In reality, it's a completely different way of managing a project. Traditional construction allows countless decisions to be made in the field as work progresses. Problems are solved on site, materials are substituted, and schedules are adjusted almost daily. Modular manufacturing operates on an entirely different philosophy.

Before production begins, major decisions have already been made. Materials have been ordered, engineering has been completed, production schedules have been established, and every department inside the factory is working from the same playbook. When that level of preparation exists, modular performs remarkably well. When it doesn't, the manufacturing process quickly exposes every weakness in communication, planning, and decision-making.

That's not because modular is inflexible. It's because manufacturing rewards preparation.

Organizational Discipline Creates Better Projects

The most successful modular projects I've seen all share several characteristics. Everyone understands who has decision-making authority. Architects, engineers, developers, manufacturers, builders, and project managers know their responsibilities before production begins. Questions are resolved early, schedules are respected, and unnecessary changes are minimized.

Organizations that rely on constant committee meetings or last-minute revisions often discover that modular doesn't tolerate indecision very well. The factory isn't being difficult; it's simply operating the way every successful manufacturing business has always operated. Clear communication and timely decisions aren't optional—they're essential.

When companies embrace that discipline, projects move faster, quality improves, and everyone benefits.

Financing Has to Match Manufacturing

Another lesson the industry continues to learn is that modular doesn't fail because it costs too much. More often, projects struggle because financing wasn't structured around the realities of manufacturing.

Factories purchase materials weeks before production begins. Skilled employees are scheduled well in advance. Production lines depend on predictable cash flow, not uncertainty. Deposits and progress payments aren't unusual requirements—they're part of every successful manufacturing operation.

When lenders, investors, and owners understand that difference early, projects move smoothly. When they try to force modular into traditional construction financing models, delays become almost inevitable. The issue isn't cost; it's aligning financial expectations with manufacturing reality.

Great Design Happens Before the Factory Goes to Work

One phrase continues to cause more headaches than almost anything else in modular construction: "We'll decide that later."

Conventional construction sometimes allows those decisions to be postponed until work is underway. Modular manufacturing doesn't. Structural engineering, mechanical systems, electrical layouts, energy requirements, and countless other details need to be coordinated before production starts.

That doesn't limit creativity. In fact, it often produces better buildings because the design team is encouraged to think through every detail before materials begin moving through the factory. The result is a more efficient process with fewer surprises and better outcomes for everyone involved.

Matching the Right Factory to the Right Project

Not every modular factory is built to produce every type of project, and that's perfectly normal. Some manufacturers excel at multifamily housing. Others specialize in hospitality, education, healthcare, workforce housing, or custom residential construction. Production capacity, transportation capabilities, and manufacturing processes vary widely from one facility to another.

The smartest developers spend as much time selecting the right manufacturing partner as they do designing the project itself. When the factory's strengths align with the project's requirements, production becomes smoother, schedules become more reliable, and expectations stay realistic.

Preparation Doesn't End at the Factory Door

One of modular's greatest strengths is its ability to shift work from the jobsite into a controlled manufacturing environment. That doesn't mean the jobsite becomes less important. In many ways, it becomes even more critical because foundations, utility connections, crane placement, transportation routes, staging areas, and delivery schedules must all be coordinated with remarkable precision.

The most successful set days rarely happen because everything went perfectly at the last minute. They happen because dozens of important decisions were made correctly weeks earlier. Careful planning creates what often appears to be effortless execution.

Builders Continue to Play a Critical Role

There's an unfortunate misconception that modular somehow reduces the importance of builders and site contractors. Nothing could be further from the truth. Their responsibilities simply evolve. Instead of managing every stick of lumber, they coordinate site preparation, oversee finishing trades, manage scheduling, and ensure that factory-built components come together exactly as intended.

Builders who understand modular often become some of its strongest advocates because they recognize that the system allows them to focus on project management rather than constantly solving avoidable field problems.

Marketing Is the Final Step, Not the First

People frequently ask what modular needs to become more widely accepted. Many assume the answer is better advertising, stronger branding, or more aggressive promotion.

Marketing certainly matters, but only after everything else is working properly. Outstanding marketing doesn't exaggerate what modular can do. It explains the process, prepares customers for earlier decision-making, and builds confidence through education rather than hype.

The companies that earn lasting reputations aren't necessarily the ones making the loudest claims. They're the ones consistently delivering exactly what they promised.

The Opportunity Has Never Been Greater

Today's modular industry stands at an exciting crossroads. Robotics is improving manufacturing efficiency. Artificial intelligence is accelerating design coordination. New transportation systems are reducing long-standing logistical challenges. Governments are taking offsite construction more seriously as part of the housing solution, and developers are becoming increasingly comfortable with factory-built projects.

All of those advances create tremendous opportunity. But they also reinforce one simple truth: success still depends on readiness. Technology can improve manufacturing, but it can't replace thoughtful planning, disciplined leadership, or organizational commitment.

Gary's Observation

One of the reasons I've remained passionate about modular construction for so many years is that I've seen what happens when everything comes together. I've watched projects finish faster than anyone thought possible, factories produce remarkable quality, and teams accomplish things they couldn't have imagined using conventional construction methods.

I also believe the industry is entering one of the most exciting periods in its history. Innovations like robotics, AI, and new transportation systems such as Uni-Frame aren't just making modular more efficient—they're removing obstacles that many people once accepted as permanent. That should give everyone in our industry reason to be optimistic.

The future of modular won't be determined by better slogans or bigger marketing budgets. It will be shaped by organizations that embrace preparation, welcome change, and recognize that manufacturing success begins long before the first wall is built. Those companies won't simply participate in modular's future—they'll help define it.

From Declaration to Destination: What America’s Founding Fathers Can Teach Every Offsite Startup

Every year on the Fourth of July, we celebrate the birth of America. Fireworks fill the night sky, flags wave proudly, and somewhere during the festivities someone will say, “This is the day America became a nation.” It’s a wonderful tradition, but it’s only part of the story.

By the time the Declaration of Independence was approved on July 4, 1776, America’s Founding Fathers had made one thing perfectly clear—they wanted independence. What they didn’t have was a detailed roadmap explaining exactly how they would achieve it. They had a vision, determination, and ideas, but much of what happened over the next several years was driven by circumstances they could never have predicted.

That should sound familiar to anyone who has ever launched an offsite construction startup.

The Declaration Was the Starting Line

Most people think July 4th marked the end of the American Revolution. In reality, it was the beginning of a long, uncertain journey.

The Continental Congress had voted for independence two days earlier, but declaring independence and actually becoming an independent nation were two very different things. The colonies still had no stable national government, very little money, and an under-equipped army, and were preparing to fight what was arguably the world's most powerful military force. They desperately needed allies, supplies, financing, and a way to keep thirteen very different colonies moving in the same direction.

The Declaration announced where they wanted to go. It didn't explain every step needed to get there.

Over the next seven years, America’s leaders adjusted constantly. Military defeats forced them to rethink strategy. Victories created new opportunities. Financial problems required creative solutions. Political disagreements had to be resolved, and foreign alliances became essential. The destination never changed, but the route to reach it certainly did.

Every Startup Begins with Confidence

Over the past 40 years, I’ve met hundreds of entrepreneurs who believed they had the next breakthrough in offsite construction. Some developed new building systems. Others focused on automation, robotics, artificial intelligence, or manufacturing techniques they believed would change the industry forever.

Every one of them started with confidence. Most also had a business plan. Today, many arrive with a beautifully formatted plan generated in minutes by artificial intelligence. The projections are impressive, the milestones appear achievable, and everything seems neatly organized.

Then reality arrives.

A code official interprets a regulation differently than expected. An investor changes priorities. A key supplier misses delivery dates. Production takes longer than projected. Transportation costs increase. Sales cycles stretch from months into years. Suddenly, that carefully crafted business plan becomes less of a roadmap and more of a reference manual while the leadership team spends most of its time responding to situations no one anticipated.

That doesn’t mean the company is failing. It means the company has entered the real world.

Adaptability Wins

One of George Washington’s greatest strengths wasn’t simply his leadership on the battlefield. It was his willingness to adapt. There were times during the Revolutionary War when preserving the Continental Army was more important than winning the next battle. Retreating wasn’t surrender. It was recognizing that surviving today created the opportunity to win tomorrow.

Successful offsite startups face similar decisions all the time. The companies that survive are rarely the ones that stubbornly follow every page of the original business plan. Instead, they recognize when market conditions change, when customer demands shift, or when an unexpected obstacle requires a different approach.

There’s a big difference between changing your strategy and abandoning your vision. If your goal is to improve housing affordability, reduce construction time, increase quality, or solve one of the industry's persistent problems, there are often multiple paths that can lead to that destination.

The mission remains the same even when the route changes.

Great Leaders Learn as They Go

America’s leaders never stopped learning. When they realized they couldn’t defeat Britain alone, they sought help from France. When the Articles of Confederation proved too weak to govern the growing nation, they replaced them with the Constitution. They reorganized leadership, found new sources of funding, built new partnerships, and adjusted to circumstances that were impossible to predict in 1776.

Imagine if they had refused to change simply because they had already written down their original ideas.

The United States might never have survived.

I see that same lesson play out repeatedly in the offsite construction industry. A startup may discover its original target market isn’t the best fit. A manufacturer may realize licensing technology is more profitable than producing it. A company may shift from single-family housing to multifamily projects or decide that partnering with an established builder makes more sense than competing against one.

Those decisions aren’t signs of failure. They’re often signs of experienced leadership responding to new information.

Success Takes Longer Than We Think

America wasn’t secure on July 4, 1776. The Revolutionary War continued until 1783. The Constitution wasn’t written until 1787, and the new federal government didn’t begin operating until 1789.

From the first shots fired at Lexington and Concord until the nation had a functioning constitutional government, more than a decade had passed.

Yet many startup founders become discouraged after two years. Investors sometimes expect dramatic returns within eighteen months, and entrepreneurs often feel they’re behind schedule because the original timeline didn’t unfold exactly as planned.

History suggests they may simply be following the same path every successful pioneer has traveled before them.

Gary’s Observation

One of the biggest mistakes I see in offsite construction is believing that a business plan is supposed to predict the future. It isn’t. A good plan provides direction, establishes priorities, and helps everyone understand the destination. The real work begins when reality forces you to make adjustments that no consultant, banker, or AI-generated business plan could have anticipated.

America’s Founding Fathers didn’t succeed because they created the perfect plan in July of 1776. They succeeded because they remained committed to the vision while continually adapting to the challenges that stood between the Declaration of Independence and a nation that could actually stand on its own.

The best offsite companies I’ve known over the past four decades have done exactly the same thing. They never lost sight of where they wanted to go, but they were never afraid to change how they got there. That may be the greatest lesson the Fourth of July offers every entrepreneur who dreams of building something that truly lasts.

Who Gets the Keys When You're Gone?

Let's sit down for a few minutes to talk about something most business owners don't like to discuss. It isn't sales, cash flow, finding good employees, or even competition. It's what happens to everything you've spent years—sometimes decades—building when you can no longer run the business.

I know. That's not exactly the kind of topic that gets people excited over a morning cup of coffee. Most entrepreneurs are wired to think about tomorrow's opportunities, next month's revenue, or the next customer walking through the door. We aren't naturally wired to think about the day we won't be sitting behind a desk anymore. Yet every business owner eventually reaches that day. Some see it coming years in advance, while others have it arrive unexpectedly through illness, an accident, or simply the passage of time. The question isn't whether that day will come. The question is whether your business will still be thriving five years after you're gone.

Entrepreneurs Build Businesses. Few Build Successors.

One of the things I've always admired about entrepreneurs is that they're creators. They see possibilities where everyone else sees obstacles. They solve problems no one else notices. They invent products, build factories, open dealerships, hire employees, and somehow survive those terrifying first years when every payroll feels like a miracle.

During those early years, they become everything the business needs. They're the chief salesperson, customer service department, purchasing manager, accountant, marketing director, maintenance supervisor, and often the janitor. Wearing all those hats is usually what allows the business to survive.

The problem is that many entrepreneurs become so good at wearing every hat that they never teach anyone else how to wear even one. Without realizing it, they become the company's operating system. The business doesn't simply need them—it depends on them for nearly every important decision.

Succession Planning is Really Success Planning

One of the biggest misconceptions about succession planning is that it's all about preparing for retirement or deciding who gets the keys when you're gone. In reality, it's about planning for continued success. A well-thought-out succession plan gives customers confidence, reassures employees, strengthens relationships with suppliers, and often makes the business more valuable long before ownership ever changes hands. The companies that survive from one generation of leadership to the next don't succeed by accident—they succeed because someone had the foresight to build a future that wasn't dependent on one person.

The Most Dangerous Words an Entrepreneur Can Say

Over the years, I've heard one sentence repeated more times than I can count.

"I'll figure that out later."

Later becomes next year. Next year somehow becomes five years from now, and before they know it, twenty years have slipped away. Then one day "later" suddenly arrives. Maybe it's a health scare. Maybe it's a spouse asking what would happen if something were to happen to you. Maybe it's watching a longtime customer retire, or simply realizing one morning that you don't have the same energy you had twenty years ago.

Unfortunately, succession planning is one of those things that simply can't be rushed. Building a company may take decades, but preparing someone else to lead it usually takes years as well.

Family Doesn't Automatically Mean Successor

Many owners assume their children will naturally take over the business someday. Sometimes that works beautifully. Other times it doesn't.

Children grow up with dreams of their own. Some want nothing to do with manufacturing or construction. Others appreciate everything their parents built but have no interest in running it. Still others might have the desire but were never given the opportunity to learn the business because Mom or Dad kept making all the important decisions themselves.

Owning a business and leading one are two very different responsibilities. One can be inherited. The other has to be developed.

Your Successor May Already Work for You

Not every successful succession story stays within the family.

Sometimes the future leader is the operations manager who's quietly solved problems for fifteen years. Sometimes it's the salesperson who has earned the trust of every major customer. Sometimes it's a younger employee who asks thoughtful questions, accepts responsibility, and genuinely wants to learn.

The challenge is that many founders never allow those people to grow. They protect information rather than share it. They make every important decision because it's faster, easier, or simply the way they've always done it. Then they're surprised when no one is prepared to step into their shoes.

Leadership isn't transferred on the day someone retires. It's transferred little by little over many years.

The Greatest Asset Isn't on Your Balance Sheet

Every business has knowledge that never appears in a procedure manual.

Someone knows why one customer always receives special treatment. Someone understands which supplier will come through during a crisis. Someone remembers why a certain process exists or which employee can solve almost any production problem.

If you're honest with yourself, that "someone" is probably you.

That's wonderful while you're there, but it's dangerous when you're not. The most valuable asset in many businesses isn't equipment, inventory, or real estate. It's decades of experience sitting inside the owner's head.

If that knowledge leaves without ever being shared, the company starts over in ways no financial statement can measure.

Success Isn't Measured by How Long You Stay

I've met business owners in their seventies and eighties who proudly tell me they still come to work every day. There's absolutely nothing wrong with that if they still enjoy what they do.

But staying active isn't the same as having a succession plan.

Some of the healthiest businesses I've seen are led by founders who still show up every morning while gradually transferring responsibility to others. They mentor instead of micromanage. They coach instead of control. They allow future leaders to make decisions, solve problems, and yes, even make a few mistakes while the founder is still there to provide guidance.

Over time, those founders make an important transition. They stop being indispensable and become invaluable. That's a much healthier place for both the owner and the company.

Why Succession Planning Feels So Difficult

For many entrepreneurs, their business isn't simply a source of income. It's part of who they are.

They remember borrowing money when no bank believed in them. They remember worrying about payroll, celebrating the first profitable year, and wondering whether customers would ever give them a chance. Every milestone carries a personal story.

That's why succession planning often feels emotional. It can feel as though you're giving away part of yourself.

In reality, you're doing exactly the opposite. You're protecting everything you've spent your life building by making sure it has the best possible chance to succeed long after you're no longer making every decision.

Begin Before You Think You Need To

The best succession plans don't begin in an attorney's office. They begin with conversations.

They grow through mentoring, trust, shared responsibility, and gradually allowing someone else to lead. Whether that future leader is a family member, a business partner, a key employee, or even an outside buyer, the process should begin years before it's absolutely necessary.

Doing so gives everyone time to learn, to make mistakes, to gain confidence, and to understand not only how the business operates but why it operates that way.

Gary's Observation

If you'll allow me to get a little personal, this isn't an article I wrote because someone assigned it to me. It's one I've been thinking about for quite a while.

At this stage of my life, I find myself asking questions I never asked thirty or forty years ago. If something happened to me tomorrow, what would happen to the ideas I've spent decades developing? Would the websites continue? Would the conversations continue? Would the relationships I've built in this industry still be valuable to someone else? Or would everything slowly disappear because too much of it existed only inside my head?

Those questions aren't easy to ask, but I've come to believe they're among the most important questions any entrepreneur can face.

Maybe you're fifty years old. Maybe you're sixty-five. Maybe you're pushing eighty like I am. Your age really isn't the deciding factor. What matters is whether your business can continue to thrive without you. If every important relationship, every key decision, every customer connection, and every piece of institutional knowledge depends on one person, then the company's future is much more fragile than most owners want to admit.

Don't wait until retirement is staring you in the face. Don't wait until your doctor tells you it's time to slow down. Don't wait until your spouse asks what would happen if you weren't here next year.

Instead, begin today. Find someone with integrity and curiosity. Teach them what you've learned over the years. Share your successes, but also your mistakes. Explain not only how you make decisions, but why you make them. Introduce them to customers, suppliers, employees, and industry friends. Let them solve problems while you're still sitting across the desk, ready to offer advice when they need it.

One day someone else will hold the keys to the business you've spent your life building. My hope is that you'll hand those keys over with confidence, knowing you've prepared them well enough that your company won't merely survive—it will continue to grow because you cared enough to plan for a future you may never personally see.

To me, that's what a lasting legacy really looks like.