Our Story

Building a better future for generations of students.
A Legacy of Innovation
We’re reimagining what a classroom can be and do.

American Modular Systems started with the belief that one small company could make a big difference. We’ve been a family business from the start, forging an innovative path towards better learning experiences for students of all ages. In four decades, we’ve revolutionized modular construction, launching new products, developing new technology and delivering smarter, more sustainable buildings faster than anybody else. And we’ve built more than anybody else—more than 24 million square feet of schools across California. Schools that continue to move the industry forward and redefine the traditional classroom for 21st century learning.

Slidebar
2023
The Next 40
What comes after 40 years of success? More success! Our upcoming projects create the change we want to see—a focus on health and wellness, high-tech STEM, hybrid design and safe, sustainable schools for students and teachers, TK to college.
2023
40 Years, 2 Offices
AMS turned 40 and we celebrated with new offices—two of them! We opened our Temecula office to serve the fast-growing SoCal market and completed a major reno of our home office in Manteca. The new space helps us connect, collaborate and create in an inclusive environment that’s uniquely AMS!
2022
Setting a Higher Standard
Our new pre-engineered GEN7 C Series elevated modular design with custom 21’ rooflines and 19’ vaulted ceilings, plus an enclosed corridor option that controls access for heightened security in both one- and two-story buildings.
2021
Boosting Our IAQ
Fresh, filtered air creates a healthier learning environment. AMS increased our commitment to clean-air classrooms by upgrading to high-efficiency MERV 13+ air filters in all AMS buildings—MERV 16 in GEN7.
2020
New Look, New Brands
We rang in the new decade with new brands. We launched AMS EVOLVE, FORM and 2GO and expanded the Gen7 product line. It’s an exciting new chapter in our brand story, laying a foundation for positive changes to come.
2018
Two-Stories x 6
We opened our first GEN7 Two-Story campus at Educare Los Angeles at Long Beach, modularizing a complex conventional design to take modular next-level. We built five more two-story campuses—six in one year!
2017
Bigger Factory, Greater Capacity
We expanded our factory space, allowing us to deliver more schools on a tighter schedule. We dedicated the Spreckels plant to GEN7 and AMS production and continued portables production at the Main Street plant—both operating at full capacity.
2016
Taking Sustainability Turnkey
We launched GEN7 CHPS PreFAB in February and installed the first PreFAB building in May at Morgan Hill’s San Martin Gwinn Elementary. Four months later, we introduced the GEN Two-Story.
2015
Full STEM Ahead
We opened our first STEM school at Dartmouth Middle School in the Union School District. The GEN7 design meets LEED Gold standards, with innovative technology for collaborative learning. The scalable design became the prototype for a districtwide STEAM initiative.
2014
Another LEED Gold
The GEN7 Regional Environmental Services Center at Manteca USD was the Central Valley’s first K-12 support facility to achieve LEED Gold. The ZNE building reduced peak power demand more than 50% its first year.
2012
From L.A. to ZNE
AMS opens L.A.’s first Zero Net Energy classroom building at Brentwood School. It was our first LEED Gold building, using solar power to meet 100% of its energy needs and saving the school 70% in energy costs.
2011
Winning the GEELA
California governor Jerry Brown honored AMS with the prestigious GEELA Award for our environmental stewardship. Caring about the environment is part of our core values.
2010
GEN7 Changes Modular Forever
We opened our first GEN7 at Bolsa Knolls Middle School in Salinas, CA. It was a gamechanger—the first Sustainable Modular PC to be DSA-approved and the first prefab classrooms to be CHPS-Verified. The custom building was occupant-ready in just 70 days and delivered 60% energy savings the first year.
2009
Sustainability Goes State-of-the-Art
AMS launched our high performance GEN7 line. The groundbreaking technology and energy-efficient design revolutionized school construction, making sustainability an affordable option.
2007
A Greenprint for Sustainable Design
Our ten-building campus at Riverbend Elementary was the first recipient of the DSA Grid Neutral Schools Award and the CHPS Green School Award. It became the model for sustainable and solar school design.
2005
Reaching New Heights
We opened our first two-story modular building at Highlands High School in the Twin Rivers USD. Two-story designs offered a more space-efficient solution for schools in densely populated areas.
2001
New Millennium, New Factory
We opened our Spreckels facility—the largest on the West Coast—and shifted portables production to the Main Street plant. New equipment and advanced technologies allowed us to build more efficiently.
1997
Raising the Roof
AMS installed our first steep pitch roof at Marguerite Hahn Elementary School in the Cotati-Rohnert Park USD. The new roofline modernized the look of the building and integrated aesthetically with surrounding structures.
1990
Next Generation Leadership
Sam Sarich retired, and his son Dan took over company leadership. AMS kept Sam’s entrepreneurial spirit, adding new features to improve our buildings and pushing into new markets.
1989
Relocation to California
AMS moved operations to California to focus on the growing California school market. We opened our first California factory on Main Street in Manteca, a site centrally located for rapid delivery statewide.
1988
Our First DSA School
AMS built our first DSA (called OSA back then) modular school campus at Quartz Hill High School in the Antelope Valley Union High School District.
1986
Portables Go Permanent
AMS expanded its product line, giving schools a longer-lasting solution for growth. Built in the factory and installed on a concrete foundation, AMS permanent modular buildings were a superior alternative to portables.
1983
AMS Is Incorporated
Sam named his thriving business American Modular Systems and expanded again—into commercial buildings and schools in the Pacific Northwest and California. In the 80s, most modular school buildings were portables, but AMS saw the opportunity to upgrade by offering a higher quality building.
1970’s
Family Business
It all began back in the early 1970s when Sam Sarich emigrated from Croatia and set up a homebuilding business in Oregon. As modular construction gained popularity, Sam found new ways to grow his business—moving into modular homes and educational buildings, then into military housing, expanding across the Pacific Northwest into Alaska.
Projects & Solutions
Browse our portfolio and processes.

Our Projects

Every classroom and every school is unique, which is reflected in our diverse portfolio of permanent modular school buildings.

 

VIEW PROJECTS

Who We Help

From architects and designers to schools and school districts, we provide solutions across the entire building lifecycle.

 

See Solutions

Want more info?
Find out how we can help with your next modular project.
Let’s Talk