LOOM Coworking Member Spotlight – Wes Deese

We are proud of our members and how much they have grown, personally and professionally. Unlike many coworking facilities, we consider ourselves a community and love getting to know them, their goals and their passions ….. we think you will too!

Meet Wes Deese : Providential Student Housing and Student Housing Insight

  • Tell us about your background, family, education: Married 16 years to Amme Deese who grew up in the Fort Mill area.  I grew up in Albemarle, NC and graduated from UNC-Charlotte.  We have 4 children, 3 daughters and a son, who are 13, almost 7, 5, & 3.  My career has spanned over 20 years focused on the off-campus student housing sector and property management.
  • What is your business and who are your customers? There’s actually 2 companies. One is Providential Student Housing which is a consulting firm where we work with developers, investors, vendors and operators in the student housing sector.  We provide services that range from due diligence to business development.  The 2nd company is Student Housing Insight which probably would have never happened if it wasn’t for being at LOOM.  SHI is a media and conferencing platform that produces content and education & networking opportunities with a mission to MAKE STUDENT HOUSING BETTER.
  • How did this venture start? PSH was started because the student housing sector has grown so rapidly in the past 2 decades that the only firms who have enough knowledge to provide consulting services are the operators.  This often creates a conflict of interest and buyers of these apartment communities typically get inadequate information to base their acquisition on.  The sector needed a firm that did not have misaligned interests. SHI began as the name of PSH’s podcast.  I was looking for ways to market PSH and there were no podcasts focused on the sector.  Because LOOM had a podcast studio there was literally no investment I needed to make in equipment.  It was a no brainer.  They walked me through some simple steps to get started and I took a couple of on-line classes on podcasting and I was off to the races.  Not only did the industry love it, I was able to monetize the podcast with sponsorship after the first 5 episodes.  Because the content has been consistent and valuable, we have been able to expand into conferencing as well and now SHI is a separate company focused on making content to MAKE STUDENT HOUSING BETTER!
  • What do you actually do on a daily basis and why? Whatever it takes!  But mostly meeting and speaking with clients and then of course there is creating the content for SHI.  You may see me in a conference room on the phone with a manager of a billion dollar investment fund and the next minute you may see me editing a podcast or a video.
  • What’s your past life? How did skills and background that got you here to where you are? My father was a fireman and later managed the Emergency Management services for Stanly County, NC.  My mother was a nurse.  So my entire childhood involved watching them respond to emergencies.  When they were not responding to an emergency they were practicing and preparing for one.  So when I was in college and started working as a Resident Assistant, I found myself doing a lot of the same thing because it just became natural and I was good at it.  So, I’ve just stuck with it.
  • What new customers you are targeting or new services being offered? Since the creation of Real Estate “Opportunity Zones” that were designated by the Trump administration, I’ve found that many college campus in the US fall into those zones which allows developers to receive tax credits.  So we are trying to become the one stop source for walking developers through that process and identifying land sites that may work.
  • What are your personal and/or professional goals? Strive to be Christ like (I fail at that one every day).  Be the best role model of a father that I can be (did I mention I have 3 daughters).  Get out of debt as quickly as possible!
  • Other than your work, what are you most passionate about? My wife.
  • Why did you initially come to LOOM? Did I mention I have 4 kids?  We built a house in 2012 and purposely changed our master bedroom plans so that I would have a home office.  When kid #3 came, it was hard to concentrate in that office.  When kid #4 came, the office was turned into his room.  When I left my employer and went out on my own, I became a regular at every Starbucks in the Fort Mill/Pineville area.  When I realized Fort Mill had its own co-working facility 11 minutes from my house… I was done with spending $15/day on coffee.
  • How do you feel you have benefited or grown? It’s given me the space and resources to be an entrepreneur.  It’s also given me a 2nd family who are willing to advise me and help problem solve.  And when they can’t help with that, there are always members that will literally come to your side and pray with you.
  • Where can we find out more about you on social media and online? www.ProvidentialStudentHousing.com and www.StudentHousingInsight.com and of course you can search me on LinkedIN.
  • What is the best way to contact you? Wes@ProvidentialStudentHousing.com

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