A California company is planting deeps roots in the East Valley as it aims to grow its customer base in the Mountain West region.
Los Angeles-based modular housing manufacturer Connect Homes is making its first expansion outside of Southern California by way of a new 150,000-square-foot factory in the Met 202 industrial park in southeast Mesa.
The factory is about three times as large as the company’s existing San Bernardino facility in Southern California, said Deborah Casper, the CEO of Connect Homes. The company will start building out its facility this year to be operational in the first quarter of 2024.
The expansion will create more than 90 jobs for the company. Casper said hiring efforts are ongoing.
Connect Homes was founded in Southern California in 2012 to turn high-end custom residential architecture into a more affordable and scalable product for customers. Connect Homes, which delivered its first unit in 2013, has several different models that could fit with different lots, lifestyle preferences and budgets, according to its website.
“With increasing demand for the Connect Homes suite of housing innovations, we have reached our capacity limit in our current San Bernardino factory and now is the time to grow our manufacturing base with a second state-of-the-art factory in Mesa that gives us the space to build and supply the next generation of housing,” Casper said in a statement.
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“We are committed to being a part of the solution to the acute housing shortage in California, Arizona, and across the country,” she added.
Generally, the company works with customers who have already secured a home lot before engaging Connect Homes, though Casper said the company can help in that process.
Connect Homes chose Arizona over Nevada for factory
“Demand for attractive, affordable homes has never been higher,” said Gordon Stott, co-founder and chief architect at Connect Homes, in a statement. “We are excited to begin producing and delivering quality, robust homes and continue transforming the way homes are built. The Mesa factory will be key in fulfilling our promise.”
She added that the company chose to operate in Mesa over Nevada. Utilizing a professional connection, Casper said that Connect Homes worked with Stream Realty Partners’ James Cohn and Stirling Pascal in finding its new East Valley facility. The company also worked closely with the Greater Phoenix Economic Council in completing its expansion.
“As the Greater Phoenix housing market continues to evolve, we need innovative companies like Connect Homes to lead with unique ideas and quality manufacturing,” said GPEC President and CEO Chris Camacho in a statement. “Their presence in Mesa will provide more options to residents looking for affordable, eco-friendly opportunities.”
JLL’s Steve Larsen, Jason Moore and Bill Honsaker are the listing brokers for Met 202. The five-building, 780,832-square-foot Met 202 park was developed by Eisenberg Co. and Manulife Investment Management in a joint venture. The general contractor was Willmeng Construction Inc., which broke ground on the project in August 2022. Butler Design Group was the architect of the five building shells.
