A Little History
On December 6, 1971, Don Rasmussen founded Modern Building Systems to be a quality manufacturer of modular and mobile commercial buildings.
We’re the oldest continuously licensed commercial building manufacturer in Oregon and Washington. Our company has been active in all phases of construction, including design, engineering, manufacturing and planning services for its customers. Our management team of professionals has a combined total of over 200 years of construction management experience.
Why Modular?
Modular construction offers significant savings over traditional, site-built construction. Structures are factory-built, allowing construction to occur during any season. Our structures are installed quickly, saving time and reducing costs. By building your modular structure in a plant setting, you have the ability to complete your site work at the same time your building is being built, thus compressing the total building time and allowing you to use your structure sooner. With Modern’s experienced management team, a complete turnkey project means less project management and fewer multiple resource management headaches.
Our Location
Our manufacturing facility and office is strategically located on 34 acres approximately 12 miles east of Salem, Oregon, only three miles from Highway 22 for ease of travel east and west. Nearby Interstate I-5 provides for travel north and south. The close proximity of Portland’s docks facilitates export of manufactured products. The site also has access to rail.
In 2006, Modern opened a new addition to their existing offices in Aumsville, Oregon. The modular building, built in Modern’s own factory, was constructed in four months and is a complete, turnkey building that flows smoothly with the existing office. The building includes two conference rooms, the sales department, two private offices, a storage room and a filing room.
Our current operations use approximately 25 acres of the total 34 acres. Total square footage of the buildings is 230,000 square feet. Modern uses approximately 90,000 square feet for manufacturing modular buildings and the balance for precutting, warehousing and material handling, or is leased to others. The corporate headquarters office space is 11,000 square feet. An available 16 acres of storage yard, graveled for receiving, assembly and storage space is also used.
The balance of building space and acreage will be used for future expansion as our customers’ needs increase and to maintain timely delivery schedules. Equipment consists of overhead cranes, forklifts, saws, semi-tractors, trailers, compressors, pneumatic tools, etc., that are required to fabricate and deliver our products.
Quality-Built Into Every Structure
Our company has earned an excellent reputation for customer service and quality-built structures. Our products include single-and multi-story offices, schools, classrooms, motels, clinics, minimum security prison space, and military buildings throughout Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Northern California and Alaska as well as internationally.
The two basic products currently manufactured at this plant are modular buildings and components. Modules are three-dimensional units complete with wiring, plumbing, heating and interior finishes. Components are defined as two-dimensional building parts such as wall panels, floor decks, roof sections, etc. The wall panels consist of the frame studs, exterior siding and windows. The interior surface is usually without electrical, plumbing and trim. The components are assembled at job site into a building shell. The only job site work on the modular building is the trim and utility connections at the module joints. The number of modules varies with building size and the modules can be joined side-by-side, end-to-end, stacked and can have different widths and lengths. Modular and component construction can be combined in a single project. When a custom modular building is complete, generally they appear to have been site-built and are permanent facilities.
Involved in Our Community
Modern’s involved in the B.R.A.G. (Business Recycling Awards Group) program helps conserve resources by reducing waste, recycling and buying recycled products. We’re distinguished as an “advanced program member for our extra efforts of involvement.” The Marion County Board of Commissioners gave us the “Recycler of the Year” award.
Building Green
Modern was chosen as a recipient of the Department of Energy SBIR grant to research and develop more energy efficient modular buildings. The grant provided for research on several prototype buildings that were monitored over a long period of years.
Awards and Accolades
Modern has received numerous awards through the Modular Building Institute “Awards of Distinction Program,” including a four-story dormitory constructed in Kotzebue, Alaska, and an office building located in Portland, Oregon.
Don Rasmussen was inducted into the Modular Building Institute Hall of Fame in 2002. We’ve been awarded two first place prizes and one honorable mention for modular projects and marketing pieces completed.
One of the most prestigious awards given by Automated Builder was awarded to Modern for “Excellence in Portable Classroom Design.”
Based on endorsements from our employees and area businesses the Salem Area Chamber of Commerce recognized Modern as its “Employer of the Year” in 1999. In 2003, Modern was awarded the “Mary Pearman Work Force Leadership Award.”
Happy Customers
As evidenced by the fact that over 60% of our business is from repeat customers, Modern believes that providing service and support beyond the customer’s expectations is paramount to future success. In addition, to further assist and provide the added support, Modern hired an additional service coordinator to facilitate project management, customer service and overall coordination.
For high-quality, factory-direct modular buildings, please contact us today at 800-682-1422.
