Cavco Announces Planned Acquisition of Solitaire Homes
Cavco Industries, Inc. (“Cavco” or the “Company”) announced that it has signed a binding offer to acquire the business of Solitaire Homes, Inc. and other related entities (collectively “Solitaire Homes”), including its four manufacturing facilities, twenty-two retail locations and its dedicated transportation operations. Solitaire Homes is headquartered in Duncan, Oklahoma. For the calendar year ending December 31, 2021, Solitaire Homes had pro-forma earnings before taxes, depreciation and amortization of $16.5 million.
Solitaire has over 950 employees and operates manufacturing facilities in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mexico. The New Mexico and Mexico facilities produced nearly 1,600 homes in calendar year 2021. The Duncan, Oklahoma facility was recently reopened in 2022. For its two Mexico facilities, a dedicated warehouse in Presidio, Texas acquires and stores raw materials, which are then assembled directly across the border in Ojinaga, Mexico. Retail stores are located in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas and exclusively sell homes built by Solitaire Homes manufacturing facilities. Solitaire Homes’ transportation business enables them to control the delivery of its homes and reduces reliance on third parties.
The purchase price totals $93 million, before certain adjustments that will be determined upon close of the transaction. Cavco expects to fund the acquisition entirely with cash on hand. The transaction is expected to close early in the Company’s fourth quarter of fiscal year 2023, subject to applicable regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of certain customary conditions.
Cavco’s President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Boor said, “Pete Hogstad and the Elliott family have built a strong company with a well-deserved reputation for quality homes. The addition of Solitaire Homes to our existing manufacturing and retail system strengthens our position in the Southwest and expands our manufacturing capabilities into Mexico. We look forward to working with the Solitaire team to continue building on their record of success.”
Solitaire Homes’ President D.J. Hogstad commented, “We are very pleased to be joining Cavco. The combination of our companies will provide new and exciting opportunities to continue the growth we have experienced in recent years, not only for our appreciated customers, but also our valued employees.”
Highlights of the proposed transaction:
• Financial Impact: Cavco expects this proposed acquisition to be accretive to earnings and cash flow from operations.
• Cross-Border Manufacturing: Solitaire Homes has successfully operated a cross border plant for over thirteen years, providing low cost production for the U.S. market.
• Geographic Footprint and Complementary Product: The addition of the Solitaire Homes plants provides added coverage and scale in the Southwest with high quality products that complement our existing home offerings. The geographic and product positioning fits extremely well with our existing network.
• Potential for operational and revenue synergies: Shared best practice implementation will create significant manufacturing cost and efficiency improvements. Additionally, product mix across the combined retail network will be optimized.
• Capital Allocation: Following this strategic deployment of existing cash, Cavco will still maintain a significant cash position available for other strategic investments.
TN Capital Advisors LLC (“True North”) acted as exclusive financial advisor and Polsinelli served as legal advisor to Cavco for the transaction. Hartzog Conger Cason served as legal advisor to Solitaire Homes.
About Cavco
Cavco Industries, Inc., headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, designs and produces factory-built housing products primarily distributed through a network of independent and Company-owned retailers. We are one of the largest producers of manufactured and modular homes in the United States, based on reported wholesale shipments. Our products are marketed under a variety of brand names including Cavco, Fleetwood, Palm Harbor, Nationwide, Fairmont, Friendship, Chariot Eagle, Destiny, Commodore, Colony, Pennwest, R-Anell, Manorwood and MidCountry. We are also a leading producer of park model RVs, vacation cabins and factory-built commercial structures. Cavco’s finance subsidiary, CountryPlace Mortgage, is an approved Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac seller/servicer and a Ginnie Mae mortgagebacked securities issuer that offers conforming mortgages, non-conforming mortgages and home-only loans to purchasers of factory-built homes. Our insurance subsidiary, Standard Casualty, provides property and casualty insurance to owners of manufactured homes. Additional information about Cavco can be found at www.cavcoindustries.com.
About Solitaire Homes
Solitaire Homes was founded in 1965 by Jerry and Helen Elliott. It operates manufacturing facilities in New Mexico, Oklahoma and Mexico, with retail locations across New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Additional information about Solitaire Homes can be found at www.solitairehomes.com.
Contact:
Mark Fusler – Corporate Controller and Investor Relations – investor_relations@cavco.com – (602) 256-6263
Source: Cavco Industries, Inc.