Sep 25 2008
Just weeks after an agreement to help Chelsea Homes meet the growing demand for new modular homes throughout the Hudson Valley region, Excel Homes has announced it will open the company's 110,000 square foot Marlboro, NY, modular home manufacturing facility in a grand opening ceremony on October 30th. The plant, which built more than 500 homes in 2007, has been closed since August 29th due to funding challenges.
The Marlboro facility will be used to build homes solely for former Chelsea Homes' builder clients ensuring a strong local presence for the region's modular housing market. Excel Homes, the nation's largest custom modular home manufacturer, has retained several of Chelsea's sales, service, engineering and process team members.
"Our first priority is satisfying the needs of the builders who have been served by this facility for so many years," said Excel Homes President and CEO Steve Scharnhorst. "The key employees who know this market and who served those builders will be hired by Excel and the quality modular homes they've been building for so many years will be built right here in Marlboro."
Chelsea Homes manufactured modular homes for more than 20 years in the Hudson Valley region. The company was operated by Tim Hourihan, for the last 10 years. Hourihan began his career as a traditional "stick" home builder. After realizing the quality, value and design benefits of modular building, Hourihan converted his two companies to the modular method and purchased the Marlboro modular manufacturing facility in 1998. Since then, the company has manufactured more than 5,000 modular homes throughout New York and New England.
Excel Homes, based in Camp Hill, Pa., has manufactured more than 28,000 homes since 1984 at facilities in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Excel Homes uses the highest quality manufacturing process with an emphasis on providing flexibility of design and choice of materials to meet the needs of any builder or homeowner. These similarities, coupled with the high demand for modular construction in the New York and New England regions, convinced Chelsea Homes that Excel Homes is the best choice to serve its customers' needs.
"This is a great opportunity for both Chelsea Homes customers and Excel Homes, but it's also good news for the modular home industry overall," said Scharnhorst. "The New England region is the busiest modular home market in the nation and now Excel will be able to meet the demand that until recently has been satisfied by Chelsea. We're up to the task and we look forward to meeting even more demand for modular homes throughout the northeastern United States."
Excel Homes, LLC, the parent company to the Excel Homes and AvisAmerica modular manufacturing divisions, has long been recognized as a leader in the modular home building industry. In 2007, the company appointed a new executive team and implemented a five-year strategic plan focused on maintaining the company's reputation of quality and innovation in the residential and commercial modular industries.