Builders and dealers are thriving in a difficult industry
OXFORD – Clustered within a few miles on routes 26 and 121, the largest group of home manufacturers in New England will open their doors to the public this weekend.
Planners expect thousands to visit the 2003 Oxford Hills Manufactured Housing Show, running Friday through Sunday. The free event features nearly 80 fully furnished homes.
Eight companies are participating. Oxford Homes and Keiser Industries will open their manufacturing plants for public tours. Visitors will be able to see the different phases of construction, as well as completed homes.
“We put a lot of emphasis on this show because it brings so many people to the area,” said Anna Cyr, sales and marketing coordinator for Keiser Industries. “It looks like we’re going to have a really good turnout again.”
Manufactured housing represents a rare bright spot in Maine’s secondary wood products industry. Most jobs in this sector vanished in the last two decades, as overseas competition cut into nearly all markets.
But the home manufacturers in Oxford Hills have been able to maintain and sometimes expand their niches. The eight companies involved in this weekend’s show employ more than 400 workers. The participating companies are Alternative Modular Homes, Keiser Industries, Maine Home Center, Maine Homecrafters, Martin’s Country Homes, Oxford Homes, Schiavi Homes and Twin Town Homes. The Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce is a partner for the event.
The companies joined to organize this show in Oxford for several reasons. Instead of traveling individually to similar shows across the region, planners felt they could generate greater exposure at lower cost. Large crowds attended the event last year.
“It couldn’t have been much better,” said Pete Connell, president of Oxford Homes. “We gave tours steadily, kept our designers busy and met with builder prospects from Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Massachusetts.”
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