Quality and Affordability, the Modular Way: Rochester Homes Celebrates 50 Years in Business

Family-owned business continues to lead the way in producing high-quality, affordable custom homes throughout Midwest

ROCHESTER, Ind. — Founded in 1972, Rochester Homes, Inc. (RHI) is proud to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Milam Anderson founded the company to create quality, affordable homes and establish trusting relationships with customers and business partners alike. Over the past five decades, RHI has continued growing and manufacturing modular homes throughout the Midwest. Looking to the future, the company remains committed to founding principles and pledges to continue providing excellent homes for families across America.

The founder of Rochester Homes, Inc., Milam Anderson, started his company with the help of 30 employees in 1972. They aimed to build HUD code homes, often referred to as mobile or modular housing, and ship them around the Midwest so that people could have affordable houses. As the Anderson family and the team grew the business, RHI learned to apply production techniques and systems building methods to produce IRC code homes placed on a permanent foundation. Often called Volumetric Modular Construction, today’s homes are built to the same exact code as any site or “stick” framed house.

VP of Sales Alex Berlin says, “I worked on stick framing crews when I was in high school and college. The first time I walked into Rochester Homes, I was amazed at what they could accomplish off-site. The production facility and assembly line take away all the things that slowed us down on-site—weather delays, the difficulty of working on ladders or lifting heavy items without machinery, and just the simple idea of having tools at each workstation. I knew that there was an untapped potential to reach home buyers who are interested in building their quality, affordable, and custom home.”

Now with a staff of over 130 people, RHI focuses on bringing their customers quality homes that last a lifetime. The company evolved from mobile home manufacturers to solely specializing in modular construction techniques that produce quality homes treated the same as any site or stick-built home by banks, realtors, appraisers, inspectors, and tradespeople.

“I have grown up around this business and have seen everyone that it has impacted in a very positive way,” says GM Tyler Anderson. “Ever since I was a kid, I have always said that this is what I wanted to do. I knew very little about the potential of RHI at the time. The more hands-on I have gotten with the product as I have gotten older the more I have realized what we do makes sense.”

The Anderson family prides itself on being family-owned and operated for the 50 years of the company’s existence. Milam Anderson transitioned the company to his son Kenny Anderson in the ’90s. Kenny completed two factory additions to grow both the volume and modular capability of RHI.

“I like to look back at the history of Rochester Homes and think about all the lives we have touched,” says Kenny Anderson. “This business has supported not only the Anderson, Berlin, and Rochester Homes families, but also all of the builders who buy our product and suppliers who furnish our materials. I knew that transitioning the company to the next generation and carrying on a tradition of supporting families around the Midwest was the only way to go.”

Kenny transitioned the business in 2015 and said goodbye to RHI after retiring at the end of 2021. The next generation of leadership took over when Kenny’s son, Tyler Anderson, and son-in-law, Alex Berlin, acquired ownership in 2015, after both working at the company for around ten years. Since then, Rochester Homes has continued to be one of the leaders in changing how the world views constructing homes and promoting the modular method of building homes.

Everyone at Rochester Homes understands how meaningful it is to celebrate a half-century in business. The National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) estimates that for every 100 homes built, 419 jobs are created. Each home is an economic boon to its community. By the end of this year, Rochester Homes will have built over 8,500 homes total, or around 170 homes per year. RHI has averaged around 250 homes per year for the past ten years, ranging in final retail price from $135,000 to $1,000,000+ (not including land). The leadership team is truly grateful for the many people involved in this milestone.