"Deja Vu, All Over Again"
The President's Message, March 1999
by Linc Moss, Ramtech Building Systems, Inc.

Well, here it is Wednesday afternoon immediately after the 1999 annual convention in Palm Springs. This morning we had our first board meeting of the new year and I was informed that I was already late on my first deadline of the President's Message in the "Industry News." Since I am not a very prolific writer (especially under pressure), I perused the speech given last night during my acceptance of the presidency. Using this as a basis, I would like to stress several points that I feel are worth repeating.

This is my second term as your president. I first served as president in 1987. Then we were known as the Mobile Modular Office Association. In 1987 we had approximately (105) members. The membership was made up largely of retail dealers and wholesale manufacturers. There were only a few integrated manufacturers and even fewer third party associate members. The idea of associate supplier members was just gaining momentum at that time. Directors of the association were chosen based upon their geographical region only. The current three councils; Dealers, Manufacturers, and Integrated did not exist. Our greatest challenge that year was gaining seats on the Joint Council on Industrialized Buildings or the "Joint Council of 21". This council, if you remember, was going to be the vehicle that rid our industry of duplicative approvals, seals and inspections by the various states. The landscape then was considerably different. Independent dealers made up the vast majority of the industry and this association. G.E. was much, much smaller, Williams and Scotsman were two independent regional dealer networks covering primarily the east and west coasts. Our industry had gained acceptance in only a couple of markets. Then, we were known primarily as a supplier of temporary office space suitable mainly for use by other forms of construction.

In the past twelve years our industry has undergone tremendous evolution and change. We have witnessed major consolidations within the industry - what was once the majority is now a minority. G.E. and Williams Scotsman have grown tremendously through acquisition, becoming dominant players in the industry. Collectively we have worked very hard to gain a more widespread acceptance of our products and services as an alternate form of construction. We have penetrated several more markets and have even become a dominant form in a few. However, we still have a long way to go.

In the past couple of years our association has made a concerted effort to push educating and marketing of our product to the public. This course has been plotted for several reasons.

1. Reaching a greater number of users and educating them to the virtues of modular construction equates to greater sales opportunities and additional market penetrations. In pure "bang-for-the-buck" this is the best possible way our association can help our members.
    
2. Public relations and marketing has been established by the Long Range Planning Committee as a priority for the board of directors only preceded by maintaining a financially strong association.
    
3. Over the years we've identified that the legislative and regulatory processes we deal with have encumbered our industry. Unfortunately, we've also recognized that effecting change within the legislative and regulatory arena is virtually impossible. Effective lobbying efforts require financial resources much greater than our membership dues can support. Until we determine a fair and equitable alternative source of revenue to membership dues, we will not be able to participate in regulatory processes from a policy shaping posture.

On the marketing front, we have pursued three avenues with success. First we have expanded the "Industry News" from a simple single-fold newsletter to a bonafide magazine quality publication. Over the last year we have featured a different aspect of the industry with each publishing. Beyond increasing the quality and quantity of the publication, we have increased the circulation well beyond our membership in an effort to share our products and services. I would ask that each of us contribute in this effort by forwarding copies to your banker, CPA, attorneys, etc. Secondly, we have purchased booth space at the A.I.A. convention for the last three years in an effort to gain greater exposure in the design community. In January of this year we hosted a booth at the National Association of Home Builders show in Dallas. Thirdly, we have expanded the MBI website. The site is updated monthly and has become a premiere showcase for the industry and our members. As mentioned at the convention, the most often utilized aspect of the website now is the member-links. To members of the association with a company website, this is a slick free way for access to your site. The MBI site is visited more than 30,000 times each month and the number of hits is increasing every month. The strides that have been made in educating the public over the past two years will continue. However, we still have a long way to go.

Beyond that, as members of this association and industry we each need to assume a greater role as ambassadors for modular construction. This takes very little effort. It is incumbent upon each of us to conduct business in a forthright and proper manner. Our industry and association will continue to attract more attention in the future and we must be prepared to present an image that is positive under the scrutiny of this attention. Build, lease and sell products that provide the user true value - not just a fix for their apparent need. Provide these products and services with an attitude that makes the customer feel that they have made the right choice. The benefits are many from this approach; first and foremost is the continuation of your individual company's success. Secondly is the promotion of our industry. Third is the indirect promotion of our association. Every successful project our industry completes brings us that much closer to attaining the legitimacy enjoyed by conventional construction. Unfortunately, every project that delivers an end result below the user's expectations pushes us further away from attaining that legitimacy than the successes deliver us towards it. This is not only applicable to the way we conduct business, but in the design and execution of our product. Leaking roofs, poor set-ups, and poor performing mechanical systems are things our users should not have to tolerate ... yet they do. Conventional construction is typically not plagued with these maladies, yet we seem to accept them as the compromises associated with modular construction. Until we change this mindset, we will deliver a product that is inferior to our real competition; conventional construction. In this litigious society that opens us up to an unnecessary exposure.

On the upside, we as an industry are on the verge of incredibly exciting times. As our world approaches the new millennium we are challenged by the continuing transformation of our economy from a manufacturing based to that of an information and service based economy. Our products and service are directly applicable to this transformation. We build, lease and sell offices, classrooms, clinics, dining and retail establishments ... not steel mills. It will be the visionary companies that seize upon these opportunities and profits. I believe the growth and success we've witnessed will continue and expand at a rate yet to be seen. However, for each of us to take advantage of this growth, we must utilize every tool available. The MBI offers many such tools. From idea sharing and networking to resource information to a state of the art website. The MBI is here for one express reason: to serve it's members. Please do not hesitate to contact any one of the elected board or our headquarters staff. Without your input, the direction of the association is determined only by the few that you've elected. I would much prefer to see the wants of the membership become more apparent in the future and ask that each of you share your ideas with the board or headquarters.

I look forward to the upcoming year and working with the new board on the issues that face our association and industry. May each of you have a successful and prosperous 1999.