On any given night, roughly 582,500 people experience homelessness in the United States, with 40% of those in unsheltered locations such as the street, abandoned buildings, or in other places not suitable for human habitation, according to the 2022 Annual Homelessness Assessment Report to Congress by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Universal Storage Containers LLC (USC) and OFFSITEK LLC look to reduce that number by quickly manufacturing and delivering shelter and transitional housing for those in need to organizations and municipalities working to address homelessness and affordable housing challenges.
“After a nationwide search to locate a strategic partner in the U.S. to manufacture Universal Storage Container (USC)’s portfolio of mobile storage, tiny home, and instant-shelter products, USC announced today that it has selected OFFSITEK as the best-of-the-best to be the manufacturer of record. We are very proud and excited to begin making our products at their state-of-the-art automated robotic manufacturing facility in Charlotte, North Carolina. This exciting, new relationship enables USC to position itself as the leader in providing affordable and transitional housing and shelters for the homeless, providing immediate solutions for families needing shelter during natural disasters, and providing solutions to municipalities who are challenged with these issues,” said Peter Nemiroff, Managing Partner & President of USC.
George Johnson, a Partner in USC, said, “It is anticipated that over the next five years the business generated as a result of this contract will range upwards in production for the Charlotte-based OFFSITEK of approximately 250 million dollars.”
Universal Storage Containers LLC was established in 2006 by Peter Nemiroff and George Johnson. USC is the worldwide leader in storage container and modular building. For the last 12 consecutive years (2011 to 2022), USC has been awarded the International Self Storage (ISS) “Best Self-Storage Container,” the industry’s highest recognition for excellence by ISS Magazine and World Expo. USC continues to innovate and use state-of-the-art technology to expand into the modular building and other industries and markets in the U.S. and internationally. In response to COVID-19, the worldwide homeless situation, and natural disaster challenges, USC invented a portable foldable Instant Home™ that provides a high-quality, low-cost home that can be assembled in less than 30-minutes that is an innovative solution to all these types of challenges.
OFFSITEK LLC was established by Rick Admani Abulhaj and Dwight Morgan, two technology pioneers who in 2019 had a vision to transform the construction industry into Industrialized Construction (IC). IC uses industrialized production methods—such as high-volume off-site construction, prefabrication, and off-site construction automation—to build buildings, leading to reduced lead times and affordability. OFFSITEK’s IC prefabrication ecosystem consists of a suite of enabling technologies including (i) digitalization, (ii) human-to-machine collaboration, (iii) robotic automation, (iv) advanced building science, and (v) the use of light-gauge-steel and advanced framing technology. This system results in creating and offering affordable housing solutions that are beautiful, high-quality, sustainable, stronger, more energy-efficient, and with a superior life-cycle durability.
“OFFSITEK is honored to be awarded this contract to apply our unique industrialized-construction (IC) solution to address the affordable housing and homelessness initiatives currently underway throughout the nation,” said Dwight Morgan, Chief Manufacturing Officer for OFFSITEK.
“We are excited by this contract for high-volume manufacturing-based construction. Due to the size and quantity of products to be manufactured under this contract, we anticipate an expansion of OFFSITEK within our home state of North Carolina. We expect to generate 150 new jobs, as well create as other supply chain related jobs in the region,” said Rick Admani Abulhaj, Managing Director for OFFSITEK.
