Imagine saving up for years to buy a house. It’s the biggest investment you have ever made, and you begin to enjoy your forever home. Then, a wildfire sweeps through, destroying your home in a matter of minutes. All your investment and everything you couldn’t take with you is gone. Now what? 

This exact scenario has occurred to thousands of people as wildfires and other natural disasters increase in frequency and intensity. But one nonprofit organization in Oregon is trying to do something about the loss of housing due to natural disaster. HOPE Community Corporation is building quality homes that outlast the West Coast’s destructive fire seasons.

Customer Background

HOPE Community Corporation was founded in 2022. The nonprofit organization received a $15 million grant from the State of Oregon in response to the devastating 2020 fire season, which destroyed more than 4,000 homes and burned through a combined 850,000 acres. HOPE Community Corp. refurbished an old American Steel factory in Eugene, OR to suit their assembly line build style, fitting it with compressed air throughout.

The organization, which sold its first homes in 2024, partners with St. Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Oregon as the first nonprofit manufactured housing facility in the USA. Their manufactured homes are HUD (Housing and Urban Development) and NEEM+ (Northwest Energy Efficient Manufactured Housing Program) certified. 

Because HOPE Community Corp. runs as a nonprofit or, the company can prioritize quality rather than speed. 

"HOPE is focused on tackling the critical housing shortage for lower-income residents, individuals affected by natural disasters, and workforce housing needs," their site reads.

The manufacturing company also works with the Lane Education Service District (LESD) to create the Lane Career Academy: HOPE Factory. This program allows 11th and 12th grade students to gain real-world trades experience while earning high school credits. Enrollees can work in welding, carpentry, electrical, plumbing, and manufacturing.

Creating manufactured homes requires a great deal of pneumatic tools. For this, HOPE Community Corp. relies on compressed air.

Using Compressed Air

Compressed air is used heavily on the HOPE Community production floor. The organization uses pneumatic tools to power fasteners, staple guns, nail guns, and more.

 
HOPE Community Corp. runs a 2-compressor system; a lead compressor and a lag compressor. Their manufacturing facility runs 35-40 tools at one time on 900 feet of system piping with no air loss. 

To complete their compressed air system, they use:

• 2 Rogers KIV-60 oil-lubricated compressors
• Hankison Flex refrigerated dryer
• 500-gallon receiver tank

This system has the capacity to operate up to 600 CFM, so the facility has air capacity available as they expand.

If compressed air were to be lost in the facility, everything would need to be hand-built. Currently the organization produces one unit per week. Without compressed air, every price of the build would have to be done by hand, severely slowing down build time and increasing expense. 

Brad Tatum, Construction Manager at HOPE Community Corp, oversees every facet of the homes built.

"Not having compressed air and not being able to manufacture and assemble these homes in a timely manner where it really counts, it basically takes that build cost and just increases it exponentially," said Tatum.

Seeing as the compressed air system is so vital to their process, when it came time to choose a supplier, HOPE Community Corp. relied on their values; working with local companies.

RELATED: HOW TO SELECT THE RIGHT AIR COMPRESSOR FOR A NEW PLANT

The lead/lag compressed air system at HOPE Community Corp. ensures zero air loss throughout the facility.

Working With Local Experts

HOPE Community Corp has been using Rogers Machinery air since the beginning in 2022. A nonprofit that aims to solve the local housing crisis depended on local compressed air sales and service to get the job done.

“Part of our business model is that we stay with local companies. We get most of our materials, some are sourced here locally with privately owned and locally owned companies and Rogers machinery came highly recommended,” Tatum said.

Having relationships with local contractors doesn’t hurt either. The contractor that HOPE used had a 30+ year relationship with Rogers Machinery. That was enough for the team at HOPE Community.

RELATED: CELEBRATING 75 YEARS OF SERVING OUR CUSTOMERS

A Reliable Compressed Air Service Partner

Since the system went into operation in October 2023, it has performed flawlessly. The compressors at HOPE Community Corp have run for around 500 hours with zero issues.

“The maintenance crew have come and checked on it, and when we get to our thousand-hour service they’ll be back. We don’t really even have to think about it,” Tatum said.

HOPE Community participates in Rogers’s Factory Service Program. A factory service program can help take this item off your to-do list. While you’ll still need to check up on your compressed air system, regularly scheduled service appointments can eliminate unscheduled downtime at your plant. 

Based on your compressor specifications, a technician will come to you at systematic intervals, perform a check-up and report any issues they find. Think of it like taking your car for a routine oil change.

Another reason HOPE Community Corp chose Rogers for their compressed air system is our commitment to quality and customer experience. We pride ourselves on being available and helpful 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, even on weekends and holidays. For HOPE Community Corp., the decision was a no-brainer.

“We know that Rogers will stand behind their service and any customer service issues that we have, the reliability from Rogers is one of the reasons that we chose to go with Rogers and nobody else,” Tatum said. 

To give their homes an extra personal touch, the manufacturing team signs the walls and includes positive messages before the home is completed.

HOPE Community Corporation is truly changing lives, one quality home at a time. Already they’re outgrowing their facility, and expanding their housing offerings to include a double-wide, 2-bedroom model.

With a reliable compressed air partner, they’re bound to keep expanding to meet every housing need they can dream up.