Posted on 01/06/2009 7:51:36 PM PST by 2ndDivisionVet
TAMPA, FL -- More than six decades and 350,000 homes later, the Tampa-based Jim Walter Homes is shutting down all of its offices. Owned by Walter Industries, that company will still operate, with its headquarters remaining in Tampa.
Meanwhile, the announcement Tuesday morning meant 230 people are losing their jobs. 45 employees live in the Tampa Bay Area. Two Florida offices - one in Tallahassee, the other in Panama City - are closing down. The others are in Louisiana, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, New Mexico, Oklahoma, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Mississippi.
Spokesman Michael Monahan said Jim Walter Homes started seeing lagging home sales in 2003. Their Tampa office closed down in February 2008. “So for awhile there we thought that we might have an opportunity as mortgage rates were going up and home values were coming down to have customers move into our segment, but ultimately that turned out to not be the case” Monahan said.
Monahan said Walter Industries will now focus on making money from its coal and natural gas products.
According to Monahan, about 150 homes are still underconstruction with Jim Walter Homes, with a couple in the Tampa Bay area: one in Sarasota, and one Dover.
Steve Rawls owns the Dover house and told ABC Action News he went with Jim Walter Homes because of its long-standing reputation.
A dollar and a deed is all you need....so long JW. RIP
Jim Walter owned a paper mill in Quincy, IL that was one of my first customers when I started selling in 1980.
I believe it was Owens-Corning's asbestos litigation orgy that buried Jim Walter homes...although I admit it's been a while since I gave a rip and I might not have my facts straight on this.
There was a time many years ago when he built most of the houses in the south. Georgia, and Florida, are full of JW homes. I remember the commercials playing on TV when I was a kid: “A DOLLAR AND A DEED IS ALL YOU NEED!”
Ping of interest.
Sad.
More work for Jimmy Carter and his Habitscam for Humanity......
Now, what was Brother Dave Gardner’s line about Jim Walter houses?
I don’t know but i do remember this line where the giant said to david, “david, i’m gonna hit you over the head with this club so hard that you are gonna sing like a ten penny finishing nail hit with a greasy ball-peen hammer”.
Our lake house is a Jim Walter home. It has held up well for over 40 years of tracking in sand and water during the summer, and mud and who knows what else in the winter. Much more useful than the perfectly decorated McMansions going up all over Lake Martin.
Being a life long Tampa transplant, I knew Mr. Walters personally. He made a “you finish home”, that saved people thousands. There are a lot of people who became home owners because of Jim Walter homes. The homes weren’t mansions, but well built and a great home for the first time buyer.
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Whoops!
Thanks potlatch
Last post tonight -
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