FLE Fleetwood Enterprises

- Second Phase of Barracks at Fort Bliss to Be Built by Trendsetter Homes Division - RIVERSIDE, Calif., Jan. 23 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:FLE) announced today that its Trendsetter Homes division has been chosen as the supplier of modular military housing to the U.S. Army for the second phase of construction at Fort Bliss in El Paso, Texas. Terms of the multi-million dollar contract were not disclosed. Under the second phase of the Fort Bliss project, Trendsetter Homes, Fleetwood's modular division, will continue the offsite construction of the primary component of the Army's new permanent barracks at its facility in Belton, Texas. During the first phase of the contract, Trendsetter Homes built seven modular apartment buildings totaling 470 units. In the second phase, Trendsetter will provide 11 buildings comprising 706 apartment units. Based on the timeframe for the first phase and the larger scope of this project, Fleetwood estimates that its Texas plant will build the modules over the next eight months. The Army is considering a number of similar projects at other bases, many of which Trendsetter is actively pursuing. "We are pleased to continue our relationship with the Army through our partners," said Charles E. Lott, president of Fleetwood's Housing Group. "As a team, we have successfully accelerated the Army's ability to provide high quality, modern housing for the Fort Bliss troops. Fleetwood's modular building process significantly decreases construction time as well as congestion, noise, and debris management issues associated with conventional site-built structures, making it a desirable candidate for numerous other building applications." Undertaken by the U.S. Army in support of the Military Housing Transformation Initiative, the project will contribute to significantly upgrading on-base housing at Fort Bliss, which encompasses 1.1 million acres of land. It is also the site of the Army's Air Defense Artillery Center, responsible for the education and training of Air Defense Artillery soldiers and units. Fleetwood has teamed with several companies that have expertise in various areas of development and construction in connection with this contract. Hensel Phelps is the prime contractor and owner of the government contract; The Warrior Group, which is tasked with manufacturing, delivering and installing completed living units, contracted with Fleetwood to construct and deliver the modular units; and the architectural and engineering leadership is being provided by The Benham Companies. About Trendsetter Homes Trendsetter Homes is the modular housing division of Fleetwood Homes, which operates 19 facilities nationwide and is headquartered in Riverside, Calif. Trendsetter produces modular residential and commercial buildings in a factory-controlled environment for residential builders and the military. The Trendsetter Homes website can be accessed at http://www.trend-setterhomes.com/. About Fleetwood Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc., through its subsidiaries, is a leading producer of recreational vehicles and manufactured homes. This Fortune 1000 company, headquartered in Riverside, Calif., is dedicated to providing quality, innovative products that offer exceptional value to its customers. Fleetwood operates facilities strategically located throughout the nation, including recreational vehicle, factory-built housing and supply subsidiary plants. For more information, visit the Company's website at http://www.fleetwood.com/. This press release contains certain forward-looking statements and information based on the beliefs of Fleetwood's management as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, Fleetwood's management. Such statements reflect the current views of Fleetwood with respect to future events and are subject to certain risks, uncertainties, and assumptions, including risk factors identified in Fleetwood's 10-K and other SEC filings. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, the lack of assurance that we will regain sustainable profitability in the foreseeable future; the effect of ongoing weakness in the manufactured housing market and more recent weakness in the recreational vehicle market; the effect of global tensions, volatile fuel prices, interest rates, employment trends, stock market performance, availability of financing generally, and other factors that can have a negative impact on consumer confidence, which in turn may reduce demand for our products, particularly recreational vehicles; the availability and cost of wholesale and retail financing for both manufactured housing and recreational vehicles; our ability to comply with financial tests and covenants on existing debt obligations; our ability to obtain the financing we will need in the future to execute our business strategies; the cyclical and seasonal nature of both the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries; expenses and uncertainties associated with the entry into new business segments or the manufacturing, development, and introduction of new products; the potential for excessive retail inventory levels in the manufactured housing and recreational vehicle industries; the volatility of our stock price; repurchase agreements with floorplan lenders, which could result in increased costs; potential increases in the frequency of product liability, wrongful death, class action, and other legal actions; and the highly competitive nature of our industries. Contact: Lyle Larkin, Vice President -- Treasurer, (951) 351-3535 Kathy A. Munson, Director -- Investor Relations (951) 351-3650 DATASOURCE: Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. CONTACT: Lyle Larkin, Vice President, Treasurer, +1-951-351-3535, or Kathy A. Munson, Director, Investor Relations, +1-951-351-3650, both of Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. Web site: http://www.fleetwood.com/ http://www.trend-setterhomes.com/

Copyright