Stories of Technology, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship in the Southeast

“The WORKS” program at the Knoxville Entrepreneur Center (KEC) was created to help start-up founders create a vision, solidify a brand, scale their business, and think outside of the box. That’s why for the cohort’s final field trip, the participants toured Clayton Homes, the pinnacle example of innovation and growth in the modular home space.

Ramsey Cohen, the Director of Industry and Community Affairs, and Matt Ewing, the Innovation Manager at Clayton Homes offered a tour of the facility to The WORKS participants – starting with the value statement in the lobby.

“Everything we do must fit through the lens of our values,” Cohen said. Those values are to open doors, be a home, drive change, do good, and earn trust. Across the board, the company’s mission is to help people across America achieve the dream of home ownership.

So, how does a company with thousands of employees scattered across the United States keep its mission and values center-of-mind? Even in the Blount County headquarters, there are more than 2,500 employees. So, again, how does Clayton Homes’ leadership keep everyone united in that goal?

Cohen and Ewing explained that it is more than offering a place to work – it’s about providing a lifestyle that people love.

From an office perspective, Clayton Homes provides a lot of flexibility to employees. For example, most people aren’t assigned to a desk. Instead, they can prop up their computer at one of the hundreds of hotel desks in the headquarters or settle into one of a dozen curated workspaces that look and feel like a kitchen, living room, or comfy corner.

Additionally, Clayton Homes takes work-life balance to a whole new level with a full-sized gym on-site – complete with a daily group workout class schedule, mental health resources, and a large cafeteria with a corporate chef.

Why? The company wants to cultivate a culture that the employees love.

Furthermore, Clayton Homes wants to create an environment where employees trust management.  Ewing shared how every person in the company knows the quarterly company revenue and profit margins. Additionally, the top salespeople each year are recognized publicly.

The WORKS participants could take many tips away from the modular home giant; however, when entrepreneurs are just starting, they may not even have the money to buy gym memberships for all their employees, let alone hire an employee.

So how did Clayton Homes get to this point? Cohen explained that it all started back in 1956, when Jim Clayton, the Founder recognized a need for mobile homes. His big, innovative idea hit the market at the perfect time – and the mobile home concept gained popularity.

However, a lot has changed in the past almost 70 years. Building codes, restrictions, and the public’s view of “mobile homes” have shifted drastically. So, like all successful companies, Clayton Homes had to innovate.

Ewing said the company’s latest model, the CrossMod is a perfect example of innovation. It is built with a new level of durability, has a certain level of pitch, and blurs the line between off-site and on-site home manufacturing.

It is a critical innovation for the company because it appraises at the same level as site-built homes, versus “mobile homes.”

Ewing said innovative ideas like this take a team – and a culture of comfortability for people to express their ideas to management.

“We will always give an employee, of any level, our ear to their ideas. Even if the idea is outlandish, impossible, or not viable, we still give them the time of day. It’s about showing our people that they are valued,” he said.

The main takeaways from the tour were to treat your employees well, earn their trust, and always stay on the cutting edge of the industry.

For more information about Clayton Homes, visit the website.

For more information about The WORKS, visit the website.

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