By: Namish Modi
When the world turned upside down 2020, a Waterloo Engineering student decided to take it upon himself to help people adapt to their new surroundings.
Charlie Frise, an Architectural Engineering student, began designing spaces for people working from home amid COVID-19 while pursuing an Entrepreneurial Co-op option.
Frise’s entrepreneurial journey, which led him to found Frise Design + Build, was recognized in a story on BlogTO’s website on July 22.
Frise told BlogTO his passion for design as well as the new environment for office work prompted him to design offices for those who may need extra space amid the pandemic.
"I was thinking that a lot of people weren’t ready for this switch and don’t have the office to work from home."
His self-employment journey began in the Spring 2020 term, and qualified him to earn a co-op credit through the Enterprise Co-op program. Frise’s fourth work term credit was earned the same way.
Frise also appeared on August 13th's episode of Breakfast Television in Toronto to discuss his entrepreneurial venture. Frise explained he has built three structures for clients since starting his business.
The 21-year-old showcased his entrepreneurial spirit by building his own website, and what started as a new office in his parent’s backyard blossomed. Frise built a backyard home office as people need separate spaces from their homes to be able to work effectively.
As the workforce slowly reopens, companies are taking on hybrid models of work. This can include continued remote work, leaving the possibility of higher demand for Frise Design + Build.
