Doug Gorman didn't want his newest position. He was already busy as a husband, father and business owner.

"I have plenty on my plate," Gorman said.

But last month, Alphonso Jackson, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, selected the Broken Arrow resident, who founded Home-Mart Inc., 9516 E. Admiral Place, as the chairman of a national subcommittee for manufactured housing.

Now, he has a portion of his office dedicated to organizing the paperwork involved in serving the committee.

Although Gorman doesn't want the added workload he does want to make a difference.

"I want to help make regulations less punitive to manufacturers while continuing to protect consumers," Gorman said.

He describes his job as chairman as "daunting."

"As a retailer, I understand the concerns consumers have," Gorman said. "But since I've also been a manufacturer, I recognize how excessive some of the regulations have become."

The former secretary, Mel Martinez, selected Gorman, the only Oklahoman, as a representative on the group's consensus committee for manufactured housing March 1, 2002.

The committee includes three categories of seven members each: producers, users and general interest/public officials.

These three groups keep the committee at a balance and not subject to dominance by any one group. It also gives all interested parties a direct voice in a consensus code revision and interpretation process.

The National Fire Protection Association is the administering organization, with which Gorman also has an affiliation.

Martinez explained to Gorman that the committee will be responsible for providing periodic recommendations to the department on the manufactured housing construction and safety standards and related procedural and enforcement regulations, and for developing model installation standards.

Gorman's subcommittee is one of five that form the Manufactured Housing Improvement Act Consensus Committee implemented by President Bill Clinton Dec. 27, 2000.

Gorman believes the act will help both the manufacturing industry and homeowners by providing a building standard for manufactured homes.

Recommendations are made every two years on ways to keep the codes up to date, Gorman said.

Homeowners and the industry will benefit from the requirement that each state institute an installation program and a dispute resolution program within five years of the law's enactment.

Gorman founded his company in 1988 and has won the Manufactured Housing Institute's Retailer of the Year award six years in a row. In 2000, he was the Tulsa Chamber of Commerce's Small Business Person of the Year.

Other accolades include a volunteer or director for local agencies including Junior Achievement, Tulsa Metropolitan Ministries, The Boy Scouts of America and the Tulsa Day Center for the Homeless.

Gorman recently announced his candidacy for State Senate District 25 as a Republican.

For more information, visit Gorman's Web site, www.homemart.us.

Doug Gorman, founder of Home-Mart, Inc., was selected as chairman of a national subcommittee for manufactured housing last month.