Martinsville Bulletin, Inc.
P. O. Box 3711
204 Broad Street
Martinsville, Virginia 24115
276-638-8801
Toll Free: 800-234-6575
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Sunday, November 8, 2009
By PAUL COLLINS - Bulletin Staff Writer
Nationwide Custom Homes’ production is up 50 percent since March, company officials said.
If that trend continues, the company’s goal is to recall workers and/or fill about 75 positions next year at the company’s Martinsville division, according to Nationwide President Andy Miller and Vice President-Operations Tommy Rakes.
The company already has recalled more than 20 of the 100 workers who were laid off in 2008 and filled six positions since June of this year, Rakes said. The Martinsville division has 206 employees, he added.
Miller said a bill that extends and expands a homebuyer tax credit program would help the housing industry. President Barack Obama signed the bill Friday.
According to The Associated Press, the tax credits center on extending the popular $8,000 maximum credit for first-time homebuyers that was included in the stimulus package.
The credit, which was to expire at the end of this month, will be available through next June as long as the buyer signs a binding contract by the end of April.
The program is being expanded to include a $6,500 maximum credit for homeowners who buy a new home after living in their current residence for at least five years, The Associated Press reported.
Rakes said he attributes Nationwide’s 50 percent increase in production since March to factors including the company’s Mainstreet product line, which was introduced in 2008.
Also, he cited the company’s expansion of distribution channels by signing on 32 new builders since March; its efficiency gains; hard work of employees; and emphasis on customer satisfaction.
He declined to give sales numbers other than the percentage of the increase.
Nationwide Custom Homes, a division of Texas-based Palm Harbor Homes, manufactures modular homes.
Rakes said the company is continuing to develop new products and new designs, and hopes to open additional distribution channels.
A company news release stated that in 2010, Nationwide expects its customers to demand more value in homes with competitive prices, as well as smaller homes in the 2,000-square-foot range. The company also expects homebuyers to seek energy-efficient homes.
Nationwide was certified as the first Systems Built Green Manufacturer recognized by the National Association of Homebuilders in March of this year, the release stated. The company will continue to survey customers to know how the business is doing and where improvements can be made, the release stated.
Nationwide, which has its headquarters in Martinsville, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. According to the company release, Nationwide has facilities in Arabi, Ga., and Martinsville and a total of 280 employees.
At a an Oct. 16 event called Associate Celebration, Nationwide recognized longtime employees and made two inductions into its Hall of Fame.
Inducted were Ralph C. Lester, founder of the company, and the late Frederick J. Betz, president from 1987 through 1998, according to Rakes and the company news release.
Fifteen percent of Nationwide’s employees have been with the company 20 years or more and 6 percent have been there 30 years or more. Thirty-four employees who have a total of 954 years of service were recognized, Rakes said.
The employees with 20 or more years of service are: Gene Hyler, 39 years; Waylon Hunt, Darrell Mitchell and Mike Compton, each 38 years; John Adams and Frances Barnes, each 36 years; Sammy Mills, 35 years; Lester Thompson, 33 years; Ricky Davis, Debbie Fuller, Tommy Rakes and Peanut Hairston, each 32 years; Louis Pace, 31 years; Glen Newman and Randolph Magruder, each 29 years; Charles Adkins and Tommy Earles, each 28 years; Eugene Robertson and Jeff Finney, each 27 years; Skeeter Seekford, 25 years; Todd Ashworth, Curtis Dillard and John Surratt, each 24 years; Jack Brown, Tom Pratt and Ivydale Davis, each 23 years; Harold Coleman, Albert Atwell and Tony Dalton, each 22 years; Denise Dunford and Garland Childress, each 21 years; and Barry McConnell, Ren Thomas and Robert Cooke, each 20 years.
In April, Nationwide kicked off its anniversary celebration with five days of builder, vendor and customer events centered on its residential, multifamily and commercial designs, the release stated.
The company’s celebration, themed “50 Good as Gold Years,” launched Nationwide’s anniversary home model, the Tradition; offered homebuyer tours of the model and the manufacturing facility; and held a home set demonstration, the release stated.
The company has more than 325 authorized builders in 16 Mid-Atlantic, Southern and Gulf Region states, the Oct. 12 company news release stated. |
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