The modular housing industry is on the rise in Penticton, with new businesses coming to town to set up plants.

“We’ve had a well-established history of this industry in Penticton and the new companies are certainly taking advantage of the economic climate right now,” said Anthony Haddad, director of development services for Penticton.

Haddad notes that there are already well-established modular housing firms in town already, like the long-established Moduline and Metric Modular, which took over the old Britco location.

“My projections are that within five years of being in the Okanagan Valley, we should be at the same volumes as Alberta. I see very large potential here,” said Mark Huchulak, president and CEO of Jandel Homes.

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Jandel joins other companies, like the Radec group and Dvele, that have also chosen to take advantage of what Penticton has to offer.

Dvele designs high-end homes with state-of-the-art technology and award-winning designs. While the company is based in Penticton, it sells throughout North America. It started up 18 months ago and already has more than 100 employees.

“We picked Penticton as our home base because of its reliable workforce and central location within the province, so we can ship to Alberta. It’s also a beautiful place to live, with great people, and we can service all markets,” said Dvele co-founder Kurt Goodjohn.

Penticton also offers easy access to transportation routes serving the Okanagan and beyond.

“I think that is one of the big benefits of locating in Penticton for these types of businesses and others, the superior access to a number of different transportation networks,” said Haddad.

Increased demand is fuelling big business, which is resulting in strong employment growth and spurring the local economy.

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