How Nathan Harris Built USA Containers’ Accessories Division from the Ground Up

In 2017, Nathan Harris was just trying to figure out if selling containers was something he could be successful at. At the time, he worked for a now-defunct company called My Mini Casa and hadn’t yet met his co-worker Andrei Popa, who went on to become the founder of USA Containers, though they shared email chains, mutual contacts, and eventually, a plane ride to China.

Today, Nathan is the Accessories Director at USA Containers and the driving force behind one of the company’s fastest-growing departments. In a recent podcast, he sat down with Andrei to share how he helped turn a side project into a national product line, and how the company’s first container lock almost became its first major failure.

The Trip That Launched a Business

In a twist of fate, Nathan ended up traveling to a trade show in China with Andrei, a trip that started with a chaotic airport gate dash and ended in a hotel room full of brainstorming sessions and business ideas.

Just a few days after returning from that trip, My Mini Casa shut down operations. But rather than part ways, Nathan and Andrei stayed connected. When Andrei launched USA Conex Containers (as it was formerly known) in 2019, Nathan jumped back in as a commission-based sales rep. The systems were basic, payments were made by paper check, and the margins were surprisingly good.

As the company began to evolve, so did Nathan’s role.

Failing Forward, One Accessory at a Time

While Nathan eventually took time off of sales to finish college and start a family, his passion for building systems and testing ideas never went away. In the background, he kept tinkering with the idea of selling shipping container accessories, starting with a few small items on a WordPress site like patches, lights, and ramps.

Nothing took off at first. But in early 2023, everything changed.

Nathan quit his day job and committed full-time to the accessories business. Within weeks, he was deep in product development, sourcing from manufacturers, refining prototypes, and placing his first bulk order. That first shipment arrived in March: locks branded with the USA Containers logo.

It felt like a breakthrough…but the product didn’t fit.

“We opened the box, put it on the container, and it wouldn’t lock,” Nathan said. “Turns out it was made for dry vans, not shipping containers.”

It was a $6,000 mistake. But instead of giving up, Nathan rebuilt the entire development process. Today, every product goes through rounds of prototyping, testing, and quality checks before it ever reaches a customer.

From Side Hustle to Scalable Business

Since that first failed lock, the accessories department has taken off. We now manufacture many of our own items, sell on platforms like Walmart and eBay, and keep branded inventory stocked in our warehouse.

Nathan has helped launch over 140 unique products — from ramps and vents to lights and mounting brackets — and is now setting the stage for wholesale partnerships and B2B sales. He’s also helped introduce a commission system for sales agents, allowing them to earn from accessories just like they do from shipping container sales.

“We built it so reps can make 10 percent on every product they sell,” Nathan explained. “It’s all about empowering the team and helping customers get what they need in one place.”

The Future of the Accessories Division at USA Containers

From leading a small team in Austin years ago to relocating his family to Colorado for a better future, Nathan has never been afraid to pivot. He’s seen the company grow through chaos, experiments, and real risks, and he’s helped shape it every step of the way.

“I think this time it sticks,” he said. “This business has legs now. The products are real. The vision is clear. We just need to keep going.”

With new sales channels launching, more products in development, and an expanding customer base, the accessories division is one of USA Containers’ most exciting frontiers.

Curiosity and Commitment

Nathan’s story is about persistence. It’s about turning late-night calls, garage ideas, and road trip brainstorms into real results. Most of all, it’s about believing that if you chip away at something daily, it eventually turns into something meaningful.

To Nathan — thank you for building this from the ground up, for turning a failed lock into a future-proof system, and for showing that the right mix of curiosity and commitment can move mountains. Or in our case, shipping containers.

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