Frank Rolfe Rips Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) on Media Relations, Industry Reacts

  WASHINGTON, DC - 02/06/2017 (PRESS RELEASE JET)

“…MHI – the industry lobby group…what’s with the concept of silence is golden? Negative articles on the industry are met with “no comment.” Positive news opportunities are met with “no comment.” I’ve never seen anything like it.”  

–Frank Rolfe, edited expert from Mobile Home University blog.

“For years, we have wondered WHY there was so little pro-industry advocacy from MHI to government movements, proposals, rules, etc. that were [often] not in the best interest of this industry.”

– Bob Crawford, president of Dick Moore Housing, a BBB A+ rated firm, who believes the industry needs a new post-production trade association.

“I think one of the challenges we have as an industry is that there is not enough positive news about manufactured housing to counter the negative.”

– Darren Krolewski, Executive Vice President MHVillage/DataComp, in response to blog post by Manufactured Home Community sector maverick, Frank Rolfe.

“As for Frank, he takes heat for stating facts and truth publicly when others don’t.  He’s the Donald Trump of our industry.”

– Kurt Kelley, JD financial services provider, from comments posted here.

A recent post by Frank Rolfe - controversial manufactured home community owner and “investor boot camp” instructor – has sparked heated industry reactions.

“Probably the greatest enemy to the growth of the mobile home park industry into a mainstream form of real estate investment is … our industry itself,” wrote Rolfe, who with Dave Reynolds, colleagues and their investors operate RV Horizons and MHU (“Mobile Home University”).

“When you refuse to talk,” to the media, says Rolfe, “it looks to the public like an admission of guilt, and when you refuse to promote your product it looks like you are embarrassed by it.”

Rolfe is not alone in his concerns on how MHI interacts with media.

Titus Dare, Senior Vice President of Eagle One Financial, and others have chided MHI for their advertorials, which certainly the news media - and many industry professionals - know are quite different than taking reporters’ questions.

Krolewski and others have defended MHI, but a debate continues on the nettlesome question if the trade association is effectively engaging the media.

For Rolfe - who has been interviewed numerous times by such leading publishers as the New York Times or USA Today – he unfavorably compares the Manufactured Housing Institute (MHI) with the billboard industry’s association, with respect to media interaction.

At a time when the affordable housing crisis in America is growing, manufactured homes are arguably among the best permeant housing option available.  Who says?  Bloomberg, Realtor, Housing Wire and Fox News are among those who have published reports in 2016, touting manufactured homes, which some correctly noted evolved from the trailer houses and mobile homes of decades past.

In an exclusive report from the manufactured housing industry’s number one source for professional trade news and views, Rolfe tells MHProNews where he thinks MHI is going wrong, and why the biggest thing holding back manufactured housing businesses and manufactured home communities from more rapid public acceptance may be the industry itself. To see the full report, click here. ##
 

(Photo caption: The MHI Logo is provided under fair use guidelines.  Battleship Missouri photo credit, Wikipedia.  Frank Rolfe and collage photo credits, MHProNews.com) 

MHLivingNews.com and MHProNews.com are the leading trade publications for consumers, manufactured homeowners, MH industry leaders, investors and public policy professionals who want up-to-date lifestyle and business news.