Mobile-home maker closes; 70 jobless

OXFORD – Burlington Homes of Maine, a maker of modular and mobile homes, has closed after 14 years, leaving 70 workers unemployed.

Twin Town Homes President Bob Huotari said he received a letter from Burlington Homes President Theresa Desfosses this week informing him of the shutdown.

“It’s quite a blow for the area,” Huotari said Thursday. “It’s sad for all their employees. One told me Burlington Homes was her home and she was part of the family. That’s the way we felt, too.”

Desfosses was out of state and could not be reached for comment, according to her daughter.

“We’ve been a dealer for 14 years, and it’s too bad. It’s a nice company. They were good to work with. We had a great relationship. It’s tough,” said Huotari.

Production at the Burlington Homes plant was halted in late December.

Manufactured and mobile homes have been constructed at the site since the early 1970s under different company names.

Former Burlington Homes executive Don Chadwell said economic factors led to the closing.

“We deemed it as a bleak future for the next four to six quarters. It was not a sound business decision to go forward,” Chadwell said.

Chadwell said the business has no outstanding debts that he is aware of.

Asked if the company could ever start up again, Chadwell said, “Like a politician, I would say never say no. Or like a sportsman making a comeback, I wouldn’t say no.”

Elsewhere in the area, Oxford Homes sold its equipment last summer to Eco Building Systems of Boston, which also took over more than $318,000 in unsecured loans and paid off the company’s property taxes. Waterford Homes on Route 37 closed last year, reopening last month after purchase by KBS in Paris.