A wooden outhouse labeled for men and women in a snowy outdoor landscape, with three men standing in front of it dressed in warm winter clothing.

Our Story

Sometimes, the best ideas begin simply by solving your own problem. That is how Blazer got its start.

Founded: 1976
Headquarters: Aumsville, Oregon
Specialty: Volumetric Modular Construction

1976 - 1987

1987 - 2025

2025 - Present

A yellow pickup truck with a large yellow trailer attached, parked on a gravel road in a forested area with tall green pine trees. Three women and two children are standing beside the truck, dressed casually in jeans and t-shirts, with smiling faces.

The Beginning:
From Necessity to Innovation

Group of people posing outside a building at night.

The 1970s:
Early Years and Steady Growth

Exterior view of Harborview Medical Center's M.R.I. Center building with a sign and parking meter in the foreground.

The 1990s:
New Markets, New Facilities

Modern two-story house with gray and white exterior, circular cutouts on the front wall, and outdoor lighting, surrounded by trees and a concrete driveway at dusk.

The 2000s:
Innovation and Customization

A modern building with a metal exterior and a large covered entrance with stairs and railings. A woman stands near the entrance, and there are green trees and a grassy field in the background under a partly cloudy sky.

The 2010s:
Resilience and Milestones

A large group of people gathered inside a construction site with unfinished wooden walls and construction materials.

Where We Are Today

Cascade Toilets.
The business that led to the business.

A yellow truck with a row of large, enclosed trailers parked on a gravel road next to a forested hillside. Three women and two children stand in front of the truck, with the two children and a woman in the middle posing for the photo.

A woman in a red jacket stands inside a cluster of portable toilets in an open gravel lot with scattered bushes and trees in the background, under a cloudy sky.

1975

The Beginning: From Necessity to Innovation

In 1975, Oregon passed a law requiring full-flush toilets and warm water handwashing on large construction sites. At the time, our family owned Cascade Toilets, a portable restroom company in Silverton. When we couldn’t find a manufacturer to meet the new requirements, we built the units ourselves—sparking a new venture. In January 1976, Blazer Industries was born.

A beige and tan utility trailer with a side door, parked outdoors on a paved surface.

A large container ship carrying numerous stacked shipping containers, traveling through the ocean.

1976

A large group of people posing for a photo outside a building at night.

The 1970s: Early Years and Steady Growth

Our first modular building—a single-user restroom—was constructed in a barn with the assistance of a friend and subsequently sold back to Cascade Toilets. By the end of 1976, we had built and sold twenty-two restrooms. Our first new dealer was Porta House. In 1977, we expanded into office trailers and added 6,000 square feet of production space in Silverton. The following year, we incorporated as Blazer Industries and purchased two former airport hangars for production and additional storage.

By the end of 1980, Blazer had produced nearly 300 modules and built a strong regional customer base, and in 1982, with a recession looming, we sold Cascade Toilets and focused solely on modular construction. By the close of the 1980s, we had built over 3,000 buildings, employed more than 150 people, and outgrown our existing footprint.

Additionally, we began shipping buildings to Hawaii and Alaska for Hawaii Modular Space—transported by barge from ports in Portland and Seattle. These markets remain key to our business today.

Aerial view of a rural area with houses, barns, trees, and fields, including a large open farmland area.

A row of newly constructed white apartment buildings with multiple small windows, air conditioning units, and doors, set on a dirt lot with a city high-rise building in the background under a clear sky.

1993

1990-2000: New Markets, New Facilities

By 1993, we had outgrown our Silverton facilities and moved to our current location in Aumsville, Oregon.

The 1990s brought unique opportunities, such as designing and installing a two-story international school in Beijing in 1994, marking our first international project. For several years, we utilized the Silverton plant to manufacture residential wall panels for export to Japan and subsequently began constructing lightweight telecommunications shelters for a supplier in Alabama. By 1999, Blazer had produced over 9,000 modules.

A small beige brick building with a flat dark gray roof, metal security gate, and a door, located in an outdoor area with a streetlamp and trees in the background.

2002

The 2000s: Innovation and Customization

In 2002, we developed a new line of concrete and CMU (concrete masonry unit) restroom buildings - our most substantial and technically demanding product to date. These projects required specialized cranes and climate-controlled curing environments. This product was developed with Chuck Kaufman of Restroom Facilities who later founded The Public Restroom Company.

To support this new direction, in 2006 we built a dedicated facility in Aumsville for specialty projects. These included modern prefab homes with architect Michelle Kaufmann, drive-through cafes for Starbucks, and Fast Lube automotive buildings through New Century Buildings for national oil change companies and car dealerships.

That same year, we opened a second facility in Stayton, Oregon, to meet rising demand. However, by 2010, the economic downturn had significantly slowed the construction industry, resulting in a volume reduction of over 65%.

Modern two-story office building with a metal exterior, surrounded by a well-maintained lawn, trees, and a sidewalk.

A modern two-story residential building with multiple units, large windows, surrounded by a sidewalk and green lawn, under a partly cloudy sky.

2015

The 2010s: Resilience and Milestones

After a slow start, the 2010s brought recovery and remarkable growth. In 2012, we built a two-story, 74,000-square-foot Tesla STEM high school for Lake Washington School District in Redmond, Washington, This project was designed by Integrus Architecture and was comprised of 92 building modules and 69 roof modules—our largest school project to date.

In 2015, we completed a 90-module, 85,000-square-foot, two-story office building. A year later, we constructed our first three-story project: a 12-unit multifamily structure located in Portland, Oregon and designed by Emmons Design.

We also launched new sustainable initiatives, partnering with Portland State University’s School of Architecture Professors Margarette Leite and Sergio Palleroni and Pacific Mobile to develop the SAGE “green” classroom. Sustainability continues to be a core value of our company.

Interior of a woodworking shop with workers, tools, and materials, and an overhead yellow crane.

Aerial view of a large industrial warehouse complex with loading docks, surrounded by parking lots, near a body of water, with a residential neighborhood and green fields in the background.

Where We Are Today

Blazer Industries has built over 19,000 buildings since 1976. We’ve grown not only in volume but in the sophistication and diversity of our work. Our team brings deep expertise, creativity, and a relentless focus on quality to every project.

In 2025, we began doing business as Blazer Modular Construction. Our legal name remains Blazer Industries, Inc., but our dba better explains what we do.

As we look to the future, we’re proud to continue shaping what’s possible in modular construction—from the Pacific Northwest to wherever innovation takes us next.