OJINAGA, PRESIDIO – A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on Tuesday, November 13 as the Presidio and Ojinaga communities welcomed the expansion of Solitaire Homes, a manufacturing plant operating in the municipality of Ojinaga, Chihuahua with its finishing facility in Presidio.
The expansion includes opening a second manufacturing plant in Ojinaga as well as an increase in the number of employees at the Presidio facility.
Currently the manufacturing operation in Ojinaga employs 260 laborers and according to Solitaire spokesperson H. Cowan, the company is currently busy at hiring an additional 200 employees at the Ojinaga facility as well as looking to expand labor operations in Presidio by hiring additional employees at that facility, which currently employs 15.
The manufactured housing concern has corporate headquarters in Ducan, Oklahoma and is dedicated to the realization of prefabricated wooden houses made from “exceptional quality materials,” according to Solitaire’s website.
Solitaire Homes has maintained its position as the biggest industrial player in Presidio, as a cross-border maquiladora (or twin plant) and is looking towards and acting in accordance to their goal of doubling production. The company currently manufactures about three to four houses per day and within six months, once the new facility is in full operational status and is running at full production capability, they will be manufacturing around six to eight houses per day.
The single- and doublewide houses can be seen coming through Marfa on their way to the housing market.
Solitaire Inc. is the parent company of Elliott Manufactured Homes Inc. in Presidio and Solitaire de Mexico in Ojinaga.
“Solitaire builds the finest manufactured homes to be found in the Southwest. Our commitment to maintaining our hard earned and well-respected position in the marketplace is unwavering,” said Pete Hogstad, president of the company.on the company’s website.
Mr. Elliot, the founder of Solitaire Homes, found that most manufacturers “used inferior quality materials that were designed to last eighteen to twenty years:” products like particleboard flooring, vinyl clad sheetrock, cheaply made faucets and fixtures, very low quality tubs and showers, plastic trim and fake wood molding, as well as many other products that simply were not designed for long-term use. On the company’s website statement, he continued that one should be able to find a home of the same quality as site built, but at the lower manufacturer’s home prices, and Solitaire seeks to uphold this vision in their practices today, “enduring quality for timeless value.”
According to company’s website, every Solitaire home is built with 90- to 100-year construction that matches or exceeds the quality of site-built homes and boasts a “stellar reputation” for quality of workmanship.
Cowan explained that Solitaire is “proud to be in Presidio” as they “know and love the town, as well as the city of Ojinaga” and they are, more than ever, “anxious to continue to be good citizens.”