Ohio developer targets rural housing shortage with new model

Ben Goehner, a 27-year-old co-founder of Western Dominion Land Company, is working to address a housing supply deficit in rural America estimated at 2 to 2.5 million units. The company aims to provide attainable housing for working families through a vertically integrated business model that combines land acquisition, community development, and structural panel manufacturing.

Goehner and co-founder Daniel Asbury argue that the decline of small and midsize homebuilders following the 2008 financial crisis left a significant gap in the rural housing market. By managing the manufacturing of structural panels in Mansfield, Ohio, alongside development and financing, the firm seeks to control costs and scale production more effectively than traditional builders.

The company utilizes public-private partnerships and land banks to facilitate its projects. According to the founders, this integrated approach is necessary to rebuild the middle market of American homebuilding, as they believe future companies must handle the manufacturing, development, and delivery of homes as a single system.

Western Dominion Land Company is currently focused on its initial projects in Mansfield. The firm plans to expand this model to other regions across Ohio and eventually pursue a nationwide reach to help mitigate the rural housing supply shortage.