Mechanical engineers are known for their ability to design power-producing machines. While generators and engines often come to mind, one NC State University graduate saw the potential power in supplying students and working professionals with residential home offices.
Billy Dickinson, who graduated in 2021 with a B.S. in mechanical engineering, was awarded a Miller Fellowship by NC State Entrepreneurship to support Home Office Solutions, a family-owned, North Carolina-based company focused on supplying “the perfect office space for everyone’s work-from-home situation.”
Home Office Solutions strives to work with customers to plan out a residential office that will fit their needs while working from home. Office spaces are designed, engineered and built all in-house over the course of four to six weeks, and then delivered to a customer’s property for immediate use.
Dickinson grew up in northeastern North Carolina on a family-owned farm passed down from generation to generation for more than three centuries. Growing up, he had an affinity for experimenting on mechanical objects to better understand how they worked, especially to renew machines that helped to keep the farm in top condition. This background would inspire him to pursue a mechanical engineering degree at NC State to remain close to his roots.
The idea of Home Office Solutions was solidified during the fall of 2020 as Dickinson watched students’ and working professionals’ homes double as office spaces.
“I myself was working from home on school and quickly figured out how difficult it was with so many distractions,” said Dickinson. “I thought to myself: ‘how awesome would it be to have a backyard office,’ especially to physically leave the house or office to get some sense of a work-life balance that was lost.”
In making the business a reality, Dickinson’s engineering degree gave him the technical skills to help him visualize and create customized office spaces virtually and then in real life. In addition, the Miller Fellowship has not only supplied financial support, but also support through collaboration with other like-minded entrepreneurs and mentors.
“There’s a lot of sharing knowledge as we all look at what we’re learning along the way,” said Dickinson. “There is a lot to take away, and give back to, these people that want to help you with your life goals; we all really support each other.”
Dickinson also attributes the success of Home Office Solutions to the support of his family.
“They provide support in more ways than one,” said Dickinson. “Sometimes it’s physical, such as a family member providing the actual warehouse facility needed to build an office home, but there is also a lot of encouragement. I wouldn’t be where I am without them.”
Looking toward the future, Dickinson hopes to further expand his business beyond North Carolina’s borders.
“I really hope to not only keep building offices but to ship them across the United States; there’s a need for residential offices with thousands of people working from home and I hope to be a part of providing them with the perfect place to be successful,” said Dickinson.
Learn more about Home Office Solutions.
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