There are some people who still believe climate change is a fallacy and are not doing anything to reduce global warming. Others also talk about contributing their quota to reducing climate change but never really do anything about it. The onus lies on us to improve the environment because that is all we have got, and Jessica Lewis is forging a new path and helping the world be a better place, one shipping container building at a time.
Truthfully, the task of maintaining a balance between economic prosperity and ecosystem viability is not an easy one, especially in a profit-making world where some are not afraid to go to great lengths to make money.
Lewis founded Mobu Enterprises, a well-renowned green construction firm that is beginning to shape residential and commercial spaces in the U.S. and the world with Ibrahim Smith.
Lewis graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Pennsylvania State University and went on to pursue a degree in Master of Business Management from Colorado Technical University.
The Philadelphia native moved to Macon, Georgia, and pioneered two businesses; “Real Solutions for Real People, a business consultancy firm geared towards making solutions for people on a professional and personal scale and Entrepreneurial Spotlight, which is a mini-series highlighting the stories of entrepreneurs from various industries” before starting Mobu.
The goal of Mobu Enterprise founded in 2018 is to create green spaces that are timeless. According to Lewis, the company came into existence because she and her team of architects and designers realized many people struggle to recover after natural disasters. That was when the idea of using shipping containers came up because they had used them for other projects and had experienced their durability.
Mobu stands for modular building units, and shipping containers fit their ideals mainly because they are reusable, waterproof, fireproof and windproof while reducing the impact on the earth. All these make them ideal to withstand natural disasters.
They are a better alternative to traditional constructions in terms of their durability and turnaround time when fabricating them into commercial and residential facilities as compared to traditional construction. Also, these shipping container buildings are tailored to meet the needs of “today, tomorrow and future generations.”
“We take a traditional container that’s typically used for transportation of goods across seas and re-cycled them for residential and commercial use as a living or working space,” Lewis told VoyageATL in an interview.
With over 40 years of experience in operations, construction, and development, Mobu Enterprises is restoring communities by educating, advocating, and improving the environment with sustainable products and self-sustaining shipping container spaces and designs.
Experience meets innovation in these designs that are 30 to 40 percent cheaper than traditional construction. Lewis told VoyageATL that what sets them apart is the cost per square footage and currently structures are built averagely in 30 days. Soon, consultations with architects and designers will see their outfit putting up 20 houses a day.
Lewis and co-founder of the company Smith donate proceeds from the company’s annual earnings to non-profits globally because they want to impact lives locally and globally the best way they can.
They have pioneered major domestic and international projects such as putting up a co-educational school for the gifted in Ghana and structures for single-family home communities and multi-family complexes in Macon, Georgia.
