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50 Year Anniversary Comes to a Golden End

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2012 marked our Golden Anniversary for our family business. It is true; we started selling “trailers” in 1962. In the 1970’s the term “mobile homes” was popular, and in the 1980’s “manufactured homes” was our industries new label. Today “modular homes”, “pre-fab” homes, or “custom manufactured homes” are used to describe the homes that we provide to our customers. Whatever is comfortable for our clients, we feel we have the highest value in housing in the Northwest, and a lot of people must feel the same way. They prefer our homes over our competition, and that is proven by our steady growth of our business during the most challenging economy since the depression era. I set a modest goal to be the highest volume dealer and at the same time exceed our previous Customer Satisfaction Index levels, which were accomplished in 2012. In order to accomplish that goal, we absolutely needed the help of our “business partners”. From the builders of our homes, Skyline Homes, Kit Homebuilders, and Karsten Homes, the transportation company Westspan Haulers, the set up construction company Horsley Mobile Home Service, our site General Contractors, Paramount Builders and Sound Exteriors, the interior detail contractor Puget Sound Home Services, the flooring contractor Hannah’s Floor Covering, and of course our own sales representatives and office staff. It truly “takes a village” to pull off this endeavor, all with the best of intentions, a customer first philosophy, and great synergy by our “team”.

 

This time of year is for families to come together, and we hope the homes we have provided to all those folks over the years serve this purpose tenfold.  It is with great pride that I can take the time to give the gratitude to all our customers, and team mates, wishing you all the Happiest of Holidays, and a Merry Christmas. We hope to see you soon, please visit our display center or web site at DeTraysCustomHousing.com

 

Respectfully submitted;

Dana DeTray GM

 

Aude Lang Syne; times long past and our 50th Anniversary

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As the Holiday Season shifts into high gear, DeTrays Custom Housing is pushing forward to finish the year strong. We had our “Holiday Open House” last weekend, and I want to extend a hearty “thank you” to all of you that came in and also contributed to the DeTrays Food Drive. We have filled two large boxes of goods that will help needy families in our area. Our Open House was December 1st and 2nd, and if you did not know those very same days were also National Pie Day and National Fritters Day. December 3rd was National “Roof over your Head Day”. I would have preferred to have our Open House on that day, but I can’t control the calendar.

 

Now that we have completed our Open House, we can start our next project, updating our web site. When we last completed the main structure overhaul last January, we have added new content as necessary in 2012. The biggest challenge has been keeping it relevant and interesting. Our customers advocate that we expand our offering, which necessitates constant editing, adding pictures, dialog, and revisions. Our entire inventory is now totally decorated with new pictures, plants and furniture. Our customers will have all new interiors to look forward to viewing at their leisure. In addition to that, we are adding a furniture catalog so if you see furniture or décor that you wish to purchase that is shown; we can price it for you immediately. This will hopefully allow all our customers to envision how their new custom home can look, just request a quote, we are happy to help you.

 

Finally, the staff at DeTrays Custom Housing is looking toward 2013 with great optimism. We will be attending our annual Shows in the Spring and Fall, but this year we are adding a show in February. We want to take our “product to the people”, so to speak. I really enjoy going to the shows, as we get to speak to folks we otherwise may not get to see. It is always fun and interesting to hear comments about our homes like “wow, I had no idea these homes were this beautiful”; or “what is this? A manufactured home? I think my grandma had one once”; right, these homes aren’t your grandmas mobile home anymore. We build the most energy efficient, cost effective, innovative custom homes in the North West. Please check us out at detrayscustomhousing.com and I look forward to seeing you soon. For more information on the shows, check us out at MHRVshows.com until then, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Happy Kwanza, Happy Boxer Day, and if I forgot someone, Happy Day to you too.

 

Respectfully submitted; Dana DeTray GM

Happy Holidays Open House

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Year End, Holidays, Short Days, Family, & Reflection:

 

It is that time of year that we wake up and realize there is less time to get shopping, travel plans, and decorating completed. I love this time of year though, now more than ever. It wasn’t long ago that I would get stressed out and feel there are not enough hours in the day to accomplish all the things that was required to do, and to do everything that everyone demands get done. How do you balance the chaos? I found the simple solution: Just let life happen. Here at DeTrays Custom Housing, we will be hosting a Holiday Open House. It will be December 1st & 2nd. We have our new 2013 models completed, furnished with décor. We worked hard to get this together for everyone’s review and hope many of you will stop to tour the new models. These new manufactured homes can be built to manufactured home specifications or modular code, whatever is best for the customer. Please see our website for more details www.detrayscustomhousing.com

 

This is also the time of year we review our projections for 2012. I was recently provided with several interesting statistics regarding sales and service. I always have a personal goal to be number 1 in both sales and service, but now we really get to see where we stack up. DeTrays Custom Housing closed enough homes this year to currently be ranked the fifth overall manufactured home dealer in the state. With over a month to go, I feel we met our goals, as we increased sales over the last five years, year after year. At the same time, our overall service reports; or Customer Satisfaction Index, shows the level of performance increasing year after year. Last month we were offered a marketing venture by the Better Business Bureau to be on  BBB TV advertising, honoring DeTrays Custom Housing with their “A+” rating. One of our home builders also rates us as the “top performing service partner” outperforming other dealers in the Northwest.

 

This is great stuff, but let’s all remember why we do this: Family, friends and a warm place to call home is the real goal. Many of our customers over this last year had terrible tragedies in their life, which in turn brought them to our place of business. We replaced several homes due to fire losses, and a couple from wind storm losses. Some folks lost a loved one or family member, resulting in the need to move into a smaller home. Economics circumstances played into many families’ lives over the last couple years, creating housing issues that made it necessary to change. The stories we are told by our customers sometimes break your heart, but when their new home is complete, and their lives return to some form of “normal”, we get to see and feel the gratitude of recovery. It makes you appreciate the fact we are providing a “home” and not just a place to live, and the “numbers” really aren’t that important any longer.

Happy Holidays and hope to see you soon.

Dana DeTray

A Season for Giving

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When one reflects over the last year, it is easy to find many reasons to be Thankful. My priorities are like most, I value good health, family, and striving for balance each and every day, juggling both mental and physical activities, to stay in tune with my ever-changing world. What a world in 2012 we have evolved to! Many of my fellow citizen’s marvel at all the changes in global economics, technology, climate changes, scientific and medical advancements, social changes, and all brought immediately to us almost instantaneously by way of social interaction devices. What would our grandparents have thought? One can be left behind very quickly and feel quite dumb if you don’t possess a “smart” device. Personally, I’m slow to react to all this, and have taken a wait-see attitude, but like most have eventually been persuaded to concede to the inevitable.  Through these means, I’ve also been convinced to utilize these mediums to communicate to all of you via my Blog. Bear with me, as this is all new but fairly entertaining. I’ve been getting plenty of encouragement and tips as well.

 

Here at DeTrays Custom Housing, we discussed how can we reach out and participate to help our community. We contacted our local food bank, and have set up a food drive to help feed the hungry in our community. We are encouraging our customers to bring in canned goods from November 15th through December 15th at which time we will donate all our collected items. We are also having an “open house” to feature our newest model home, here at our sales display located at 10209 149th St. E. Puyallup, Washington where you can drop off your donations as well. It is with great joy and determination that our staff is involved with this endeavor to help our community, so please come by and help out. We look forward to seeing you. As a company, we also wanted to share with you that DeTrays Custom Housing donated funds to a charitable organization to benefit victims of the Super Storm Sandy. We feel it’s important to do what you can, even if it is a little bit, as doing something is better than doing nothing. Should the situation be reversed, one wants to feel it would come back, if we pass it forward, right? I personally had that right in my face during the East Coast tragedy. Most of here in the West Coast watched Sandy obliterate the North East, but on Oct. 28th we came close to an equally devastating disaster when we had a 7.7 earthquake just north of us in the Queen Charlottes. I received word from my daughter in Hawaii that NOAA immediately issued a tsunami warning, shut down major utilities, and set up disaster relief centers in the event of a crisis which was looming. This did not happen, in fact virtually no one even heard about this, but until you feel the panic and helplessness one feels about not being able to help your loved ones, it isn’t all that important.

Please don’t forget to give, it brings good Karma.

Is 50 a big deal?

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Is 50 a big deal?

Well I guess it is when you share the date with the likes of the Space Needle, the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Rolling Stones, and N.A.S.A.’s John Glenn orbited the earth. It makes my family’s business venture which began in 1962, no big deal. It is “Golden” of course, and very special to make this milestone. When I think back to our roots, my folks were just trying to make a living, and follow a dream. Serving those through adhering to what they were taught by their parents, the “Golden Rule of treating others with respect and the way you want to be treated” has always served our business philosophy as its base mission statement.

My wife and I aquired the business 10 years ago, and continue treating all of our customers, business associates, and employees in this fashion. I enjoy doing what I do as much today as when I started in this business in 1977. We enrich people’s lives, and affect so many in a constructive positive way; it truly is gratifying to help other achieve life goals and dreams. This part of the business has never changed for me and my wife. Helping others is a blessing, and we don’t take the task lightly. We put our heart and soul into listening, and understanding what our customers need, and do our part to fulfill this to the best of our ability.

In this respect, I guess what we do is a big deal; one only needs to ask our customers how their experience was in working through the details of completing the business venture of building a custom home. It is what we enjoy doing for others, and doing it so well, they will entrust sending friends or family as a referral to work with as well. This is what it is all about for us, exceeding expectations one customer at a time. Please see our web site at www.detrayscustomhousing.com for more information, ideas, and specials.

Thank you for your time,

Dana DeTray

General Managing Partner