Taylor Reed is a Huntsville engineer, nonprofit leader, and community advocate whose passion for serving others led him to found and lead ShowerUp Huntsville, a nonprofit organization dedicated to restoring dignity, hope, and human connection to individuals experiencing homelessness. Through mobile shower units, hygiene supplies, and compassionate outreach, ShowerUp Huntsville provides one of life's most basic necessities—a safe, hot shower—to those who need it most.

A graduate of The University of Alabama in Huntsville with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering, Taylor balances a successful career in the aerospace and defense industry with a deep commitment to community service. He has served as a Quality, Safety & Mission Assurance leader supporting advanced research efforts for the Missile Defense Agency while also dedicating countless hours to charitable work throughout North Alabama. Inspired by his faith, family values, and years of volunteer work serving Huntsville's homeless population, Taylor launched ShowerUp Huntsville in 2020 after seeing the impact of the original ShowerUp program in Nashville.

What began as a vision to address a critical but often overlooked need quickly grew into a thriving organization that has provided thousands of showers and essential hygiene services to people throughout the Tennessee Valley. Under his leadership, ShowerUp Huntsville became one of the organization's most successful chapters and helped inspire expansion into other cities across the country. Taylor believes that a shower is about far more than cleanliness—it's about restoring confidence, dignity, and hope.

Through partnerships with churches, businesses, nonprofits, and volunteers, ShowerUp Huntsville has become a powerful example of how local communities can come together to serve their most vulnerable neighbors. His work has been featured throughout the Huntsville area, highlighting both the practical impact and the deeply human stories behind the mission.

On this episode of Our Town, Taylor shares the story behind ShowerUp Huntsville, the realities of homelessness in our community, the lessons he's learned building a nonprofit from the ground up, and why small acts of kindness can have life-changing consequences.

For more information on Taylor Reed and ShowerUp visit https://showerup.org

Host/Interviewer: M. Troy Bye, Owner, Our Town with Troy Bye, a brand of the Our Town Company, LLC

Watch on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP5NjTsQ72k00C5n7ghLapA

Watch on Spotify:https://open.spotify.com/show/0JwD62zXPncMeFeQdTVomH

Audio only available in all other platforms where you get your podcasts

Follow us on social media: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/our-town-w-troy-bye-50033a234/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ourtownpodcast/