We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Tim Spicer. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Tim below.
Tim, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
During the pandemic, along with the rest of the world, I was binging a ton of television shows! One show in particular was Tiny Homes on HGTV. By learning more about the efficacy of said individual dwellings, the idea of Container Communities was birthed.
From the professional perspective, a lot of my work was virtual as I supported higher education institution build capacity through a peer-to-peer mentorship model. One of the biggest learnings from my students at the time was the challenges associated with graduating. There was a handful of students who were dropping out before graduating college because of the lack of student housing. I began to research different modular homes to determine its’ feasibility, not only for post-secondary students but, 2-year institutions specifically. Based on my knowledge of community colleges, there was an evident need for student housing at said campuses to boost semester-to-semester retention.
The more I studied the market of student housing, the more I began to learn of other entities creating modular homes as legitimate housing options. One of the first steps to ensuring Container Communities would be unique was to create a specific value proposition for a) the institution b) the student and c) the community. Container Communities was designed to cater to multiple aspects of the whole student! There are several institutions that have utilized shipping containers for student housing however, Container Communities, adds a sense of belonging to ensure students feel connected to campus and their surrounding community. It is one thing to offer a home yet, the supplemental programming makes us distinct in how we support our residents
What kept me enthused most about this endeavor was the fact that major institutions found value in creating student housing developments using shipping containers. However, my idea to cater to institutions that did not have student housing allowed me to appeal to a market that many developers had neglected. As I identified opportunity zones and land lots near colleges, it became even more evident that there was a need for said developments.
Tim, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
Tim is a non-profit management savant, as well as a facilitator, entrepreneur, and international expert with over a decade of post-secondary experience. His expertise ranges from youth development to community partnerships and program evaluation. As a Senior Program Manager at PeerForward, he leads core model implementation for high schools and manages college partnerships across the nation. Additionally, Tim is revered in his community for his introduction of President Barack Obama in his Address to Students. Since earning his undergraduate degree in Political Science from Morehouse College, he has supported students and families, through servant leadership, financial aid workshops and college attainment seminars. While managing over 2,500 graduating seniors annually, Tim has fine-tuned his niche by earning his Master’s in Curriculum & Instruction from the Graduate School of Education & Human Development at George Washington University. Nestled outside of Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Jasmine, and two boys, Carter and Cooper, Tim is committed to enhancing the market of college housing through his own business, Container Communities.
I was always vested in the education sector. Having served at an international non-profit organization for a decade, I became well-versed in the needs of colleges and students. Container Communities is a big step forward as an entrepreneur. Being completely transparent, I began dreaming big after I started my family. In order to continue providing, I knew I’d have to pivot with my own ideas to establish myself as a businessman. I am most proud of our ability to seek and receive grants to jumpstart our efforts in developing multiple student housing developments.
Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?
Funding any business can be one of the most difficult first steps in creating a business. For me, it was about making sure I was articulating my business plans to the appropriate audience. For example, I initially thought fundraising would be too difficult however, there are resources (local, state and federal) that offer a wealth of resources for impact related projects. There are several stories that speak to my funding journey as the success of each ask ranges.
After confronting the challenges associated with funding, I learned that it was the questions I presented to clients. Several higher education institutions were interested in the model of Container Communities yet, it was figuring out how to make my need as equivocal as their need. The most effective strategy to grow the clientele was to continue to appeal to institutions who had a need and a means to address the need. While all post-secondary institutions struggle with retention, it was key that I presented statistics that parallel with how why students drop out due to lack of housing. By emphasizing what Container Communities can accomplish for campuses, the metrics add color to what some of the most at-risk students are experiencing every semester. Another factor that has impacted growing our clientele is the ability to demonstrate our property management background coupled with our program management expertise. As we move forward into a new cycle of citing colleges, planning models and securing funding, it is in our best interest to serve those who are not being served to remain valuable where we can make the most impact.
How’d you meet your business partner?
The cofounder of Container Communities is Kendell Johnson. We originally met in college at Morehouse during our matriculation beginning in 2010. Although the idea didn’t come about until after college, we remained enthused about each others’ professional journey and overall, great friends. When I presented the idea of building student housing in shipping containers, he suggested meeting with an architecture to mock up a few renderings. From then, we continued to pull in working professionals to actualize our student housing model. Kendell had a nick for project management after managing several commercial properties in the greater Washington, DC area. I, on the other hand, had a wealth of program management for several regions deeply vested in post-secondary graduation. As we combined our background with a common understanding of, ‘identify the challenge, build the solution, and improve every time,’ we knew which levers to pull in order for Container Communities to hold weight in the market.
Although our lives have changed drastically over the last decade, we remain true to developing our first beta site in Southeastern Kentucky by 2025.
Contact Info:
- Website: http://trispiceathon.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/trispiceathon
- Other: Survivor – https://www.ajc.com/things-to-do/georgia-entertainment-scene/briefs-survivor-tim-spicer-second-act-stories-podcast-scad-pop-up-library/VWNG2KQKRJD7TFZKT542BQQ3GY/ – President Obama Introduction – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-uWxdTxBi2g&t=90s – LinkedIn – www.linkedin.com/in/timspicerjr