Jan. 13--ANADARKO -- A builder of upscale manufactured homes plans to start operations in Anadarko in the spring and could employ more than 50 people by the end of the year.
Showcase of Homes LLC of Waterloo, Iowa, will move into a former carpet factory with enough capacity to build more than 5,000 homes a year, said Ricky McCloud, chief executive officer.
The company will receive job training help from Caddo-Kiowa Technology Center and the state Commerce Department. McCloud said if orders reach expectations, Showcase of Homes eventually could employ a work force "in the hundreds."
"This is a startup," said McCloud, who has more than 20 years of experience in construction, finance and mobile-home sales. "We've been working solidly for a year and half to get the land and letters of credit."
The company also plans to set up a network of associate dealers to market and finance the homes. McCloud said the manufactured homes are not mobile homes or double-wides, but something more upscale.
"What we're building is an engineered, system-built home," he said. "We'll have four different models, including a custom model."
McCloud said Showcase of Homes chose Anadarko and Oklahoma because of their friendliness and aggressive pursuit of the company. It will use Home Depot Inc. as its main materials supplier.
In Anadarko, the company is remodeling the former Hollytex carpet factory, which encompasses 247,000 square feet. In addition to the Commerce Department and CareerTech, Showcase of Homes received help from Anadarko, Anadarko Bank & Trust and Caddo County.
