Jackson, Wyoming company moving to Bonneville County; bringing ‘a lot of jobs’ to the area

Wheelhaus, Inc. a manufacturer of tiny homes, said it is moving all of its operations from Jackson, Wyoming to Bonneville County.

Wes White, vice president of the company, said work has already begun to move corporate offices, the showroom and construction facilities to a 50-acre piece of land off Highway 26 east of Idaho Falls.

“We are excited about growing and expanding there,” White said.

White believes the move to Bonneville County will result in the creation of a number of new jobs. It is unclear how many jobs will actually be created.

“We look forward to expanding the operations there and creating a lot of jobs,” White said.

The high demand for tiny homes in the Rocky Mountain West was a critical part of the decision to move west into Idaho, according to White.

“We are really excited. Being in Jackson, we are over in Idaho all the time,” White said. “Idaho is our next door neighbor. We are excited to be getting closer toward this way and have people bounce back and forth.”

A Berkley University study that was completed in 2016 described the tiny house movement as “a desire to live modestly while conserving resources — environmental consciousness, (and) self-sufficiency.”

“A lot of people talk about whether it is a trend or not,” White said. “We do not really think it is a trend at all. It is a movement in how you live your life and how you are less wasteful and make the better impact on the environment.”

As part of the move, Wheelhaus, Inc. will construct a facility that will allow them to build the tiny homes inside, away from f the harsh winters associated with the area.

“It is hard to build through the winter,” White said. “By building them on site and in a factory building, we can build them in the winter. We can store them and then we can deliver them and have them ready for sale.”

Wheelhaus, Inc. started six years ago and has a construction facility in Utah and in Jackson, where the corporate office currently is located. The company also owns Fireside Resort in Jackson. White said it will remain there, allowing them to do business in Jackson and provide customers with what White calls a “test before you buy” option.

A completion date for construction has not been set, but White hopes it will be sometime in the summer of 2017.