FIRST HERITAGE AMERICAN HOME TO ROLL OFF LINE IN SIKESTON SOON

SIKESTON -- The first modular home will roll off the Heritage American Homes assembly line any day now.

Heritage American Homes is a new company here, founded following a joint venture between Dallas-based Holigan Homes and Patriot Homes Inc. of Elkhart, Ind.

The new company recently held its groundbreaking in Sikeston's Industrial Park for the new modular home manufacturing facility.

But work has been under way almost a month in a building that previously housed Malik Brass Mill.

"Five or six homes were in various phases of development along the assembly line last week," said Sikeston's Department of Economic Development Director Bill Green. "A completed home should be rolling off the line any day."

Green traced the growth of the town's newest manufacturer.

"I received a telephone call from Harold Holigan more than a year ago," said Green. "That's when it all started."

Holigan, of Holigan Family Investments Inc., a land-development and home-building organization headquartered in Dallas, announced in February his company would commit more than $75 million in transactions in Southeast Missouri, including the manufactured-home plant at Sikeston.

The total Holigan package included the purchase of Ashland Courts Subdivision in northwest Cape Girardeau; Michael Annis Construction Inc.; Savannah Ridge Subdivision in Jackson; Cher-Ron-Doe, a Fruitland subdivision; development of Forest Hill Estates on North Sprigg Street in Cape Girardeau; and the new factory.

The old MBM building at Sikeston includes 28 acres of land, with a 110,000-square-foot building, which will be expanded.

"Once we start production, we hope to produce about 12,000 homes a year," said Holigan, a Puxico native.

The homes made at Sikeston will be marketed in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia and Michigan.

Only recently, the limited partnership was established with Patriot Homes.

Patriot will be the managing partner of Heritage, Patriot President Samuel V. Weidner said.

Initially, Heritage will produce homes from plants in Sikeston and McGregor, Texas.

The Sikeston plant will be expanded and rehabilitated over the next several months. The McGregor plant will be a new building with construction to start later this year."

Patriot and Holigan officials, along with Missouri state executives, were in Sikeston for Heritage's Aug. 18 groundbreaking. The new Heritage company will produce drywall sectional HUD homes and BOCA modular homes, including ranch, Cape Cod, and two-story models, ranging in size from 1,000 to 2,000 square feet.

In support of the project, the Missouri Department of Economic Development has awarded a $500,000 Industrial Infrastructure Grant through the Community Development Block Grant to Sikeston for street and storm sewer improvements and the construction of a rail spur to provide the company with access to railroad service and $284,000 in job training funds. Through the Sikeston Industrial Development Authority, tax-exempt bonds worth $2.1 million are being issued for the project.

The rail spur will let Heritage receive lumber via the railroad and will benefit other manufacturing facilities in Sikeston.