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In the spring of 2020, office buildings across Clark County suddenly went dark as COVID-19 descended. Kitchen tables, guest bedrooms, and even garages became makeshift office desks, cubicles and work studios.
Some workers have returned to their original workplaces. But many are still working from home using their same improvised setups.
Focus Space NW seeks to cater to the needs of these remote workers. It designs and builds backyard offices and studio spaces for people who work from home. In addition to providing a much-needed sense of separation between work and home, these aptly named “focus spaces” offer a quiet place to improve productivity and creativity.
While there certainly were a number of people who worked remotely prior to the pandemic, CEO and co-founder Noah Root admits they weren’t a demographic he had thought to cater to before COVID-19 hit.
Root’s interest in small-scale construction goes back to 2017. Using his background in engineering, he started researching tiny homes, modular buildings, and prefabricated structures with the initial idea of creating a business that would offer alternatives to the rising cost of housing.
WORKING IN CLARK COUNTY
Working in Clark County, a brief profile of interesting Clark County business owners or a worker in the public, private, or nonprofit sector. Send ideas to Hope Martinez:
hope.martinez@columbian.com; fax 360-735-4598; phone 360-735-4550.
Upon the first wave of lockdowns in 2020, Root was able to pivot his business concept from tiny homes to tiny home offices. He founded Focus Space NW in January. A typical space costs about $18,000, including permits and installation, according to the company’s website.
As CEO of a small business, Root leads the design team and supports the company’s marketing, sales and finance team. On any given day one can expect to find Root working hands-on with the building team or back in the office doing design and administrative work.
Although lockdowns appear to be a thing of the past, remote work continues for many businesses. Hybrid schedules and remote work have opened jobs to a wider range of workers.
“While the initial boom in work from home spaces obviously isn’t the same as the early days of COVID, I believe the overall evolution has been and will continue to be a move towards more flexible work options,” Root said. “If you can perform the functions of your job at home just as effectively as you could from a traditional office setting, then you have more opportunities available to you than ever before.”
As COVID safety regulations and the landscape of remote work continues to grow and evolve, Root is confident that he and his team at Focus Space NW will continue to adapt and grow with it.
“Humans are creatures of habit. The physical environments in which we live and work hold powerful keys to unlocking our potential,” Root said. “We at Focus Space NW believe that having a separate, physical space optimized for focus can be a game-changer. We want our studios to be an oasis of focus for our customers.”
For more information on Focus Space NW and the various designs they offer, visit www.focusspacenw.com or call 503-572-1164.
