Jennifer Downer

By Alejandra Zilak

veryone’s life comes with its share of good times and hardships. What makes some people stand out is how they come back stronger from setbacks, especially when their challenges are relatable.

This month’s “Women in Self-Storage” features Jennifer Downer, senior vice president of operations at Mini Mall Storage Properties. One of the many things that makes her story so heartfelt is its realness. No matter the hurdles that life has thrown at her, her grit has helped her get back up and keep going, both in her personal and professional life.

Downer starts her story with a fun fact about her hometown, Elberton, Ga.: Its primary industry is granite quarries and sheds where tombstones are manufactured. “It’s a bit morbid when you think of it,” she says. But the next time you’re watching Jeopardy, and “What is the granite capital of the world?” pops up on that blue screen, you’ll be ready to hit the buzzer faster than anyone else.

Downer’s parents split when she was about eight, leaving her mother pondering ways to take care of her and her brother. Shortly thereafter, her mom went back to college to get a teaching degree. “We were definitely latchkey kids,” she says, “but she had a village that stepped in when she needed help—mostly my grandfather, who was my hero. He was an entrepreneur who started a chain of tire stores in northeast Georgia called John Duncan Tires. We spent a lot of time at the Elberton store growing up.”

She played percussion in the marching band, was editor of the school newspaper, participated in drama club, and sang in the chorus. Having such a full calendar showed that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree: Her mom was her teacher for drama, newspaper, and chorus. However, don’t think for one minute that she played favorites while teaching her own children. “She was my brother’s English teacher and actually sent him to in-school suspension for excessive tardiness,” Downer says with a laugh. “She was one of those teachers all the students loved.”

After high school, she attended Emmanuel College, a small Christian college about 45 minutes from home. “I grew up in a very religious home,” she says. “My mom was the music minister at our church, and my maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother were both pastors.”

It had become a family tradition for everyone to go to school at Emmanuel. “Honestly, I went there because I was scared to go anywhere else,” says Downer. “Since my brother and some of my church friends were already going there, I knew I would have people to look after me.”

While in school, she worked at the local Rite Aid as the one-hour photo girl. She failed her Old Testament class and Intro to Psychology, but she excelled in journalism, winning several journalism and photography awards while she worked towards her degree in communications. “I did an internship at the local newspaper, which turned into my first real job after college.”

After working at the newspaper, she landed a job as a general manager of a hotel, where she worked until she was laid off. “At some point, I found myself a single mom, living in a single-wide trailer in my mother’s front yard.”

Downer had applied for a job as an assistant manager at a self-storage facility. Fortunately, she was offered a property manager position the day after her severance package ended. “Looking back, that was one of the many times that God showed me his providence,” she says.

Ten years into the industry, while working at a third-party management company, she made her way up to director of operations. At this point, she decided to go back to school; this time at Brenau University in Gainesville, Ga. “My mentor and boss at the time encouraged me to get my MBA,” says Downer. “He assured me that it would be important to do this so that my career would continue to grow. I worked full time, had two kids, and graduated at age 39 with a 4.0. I thoroughly enjoyed school the second time around.” She stayed with that company for 15 years and eventually became the chief operating officer.

That management company was a client of XPS Solutions, which led Downer to develop relationships with many of the team members there.

At some point, after a series of personal issues, she had to scale back on work to take care of her family. “I needed to work, but I also needed to be more available for our kids,” says Downer. “After much fear and resistance, I started my own consulting firm, helping new owners and operators get started in the industry.” This is when providence, once again, intervened to provide her with exactly what she needed. “Along the way, I was introduced to John Traver, the owner and CEO of XPS. He hired me as a consultant to help launch a remote management initiative; and a few months later, I joined XPS.”

During her tenure as COO at XPS, she was able to take a peek behind the tech curtain and learn the complexities of API integration and the magnitude of development that is required. She can attest firsthand that the company truly prioritizes not only the client experience but the employee experience. “Every client is important to the team at XPS. And every employee is equally important,” she says. “When I told John about the opportunity I had to join Mini Mall, he stepped in as a mentor and friend. Although we were both sad, he encouraged me to do what was best for my family.”

Two decades in, her favorite part about the industry is not surprising. “So many people have been willing to invest in me along the way,” she says. “They’ve shared their knowledge, friendship, and encouragement; and I have discovered some of my favorite people in this industry.”

When asked to offer advice for women getting started in self-storage, she mentions the importance of being authentic. “For so long, I was insecure and intimidated by others, so I tried to stay in the background, or I would become a chameleon and adapt to whoever the audience was,” Downer says, adding that the problem with this approach is that it won’t help you feel comfortable in any environment. “It wasn’t until I married my now husband in 2021 that I truly committed to be myself, and it’s been life-altering for me. Don’t be afraid to be who you are. You will fit somewhere, and that’s the place you want to be.”

She also shares that it’s impossible to be perfect; oftentimes, doing your best is more than enough. “I’m a bit of a perfectionist and overachiever. I always want to be the best employee, wife, and mom I can be.”

That can be a tall order under any circumstances, but Downer’s life has had its share of complexities, making her attempts to be perfect even more challenging. “My husband already had five kids from a previous relationship when we got married, so I became a mom of seven overnight; three of them are on the autism spectrum,” she says. “I’ve learned that my best isn’t always needed or necessary. Sometimes, just being OK is perfectly fine.”

In addition to being a wife and a mom to a Von Trapp-sized entourage, she is proud of being described as an active COO by a team member at XPS. “I love being in the lives of my team. At XPS, I would listen to our agent’s calls every morning. I’d pop into meetings just to say hello or give input. I never considered that this was not the norm for a COO, but hearing him say that made me feel like I had accomplished something big.”

When not working, Downer loves spending time with her family. “I’m usually hanging out with them or washing the mounds of clothes that come along with seven kids,” she says with a laugh. “I also enjoy refinishing furniture or doing something artistic.”

At the end of the day, she just loves spending time with her family. “My favorite place in the world is home,” she says. “My husband and I enjoy the weekends on our back deck, listening to music or watching a game. He’s an amazing cook, so he’s generally grilling something delicious for all of us to enjoy,” she says, noting that those are pretty much the most luxurious things in life.