Charleston Office Evolution Franchisee Goes Against the Grain to Grow Business

The name Office Evolution reflects the journey Charleston Office Evolution Owner Andy Fry has taken throughout his career.

Over the years, his career path has taken him from coast to coast spanning several different offices and positions. His latest venture? Owner of one the fastest growing franchises in the nation.

Nestled in Charleston’s historic downtown, South Carolina’s only Office Evolution is a far cry from the loud, bustling financial district Fry used to frequent during his Wall Street days.

But his many years spent on Manhattan specializing in financial operations and client relationships has proven to be the perfect precursor to his successful start on King Street in Charleston.

“Office Evolution gives me the opportunity to manage client relationships on a local basis,” Fry said. “It’s fun to learn about their day to day operations and deal with professionals face to face.”

His career in the banking industry spans nearly three decades bringing him to all corners of the U.S from Boston to Kansas City and several places in between. Where the job went, he followed.  But his latest move was his choice. Fry and his wife were empty nesters and he had an itch to expand his expertise.

“I decided to go out and do something different,” Fry said. “I decided it was time for an adventure.”

With Charleston’s red-hot economy attracting a large tech scene, Fry chose the city for his next business venture. The area was already attracting new business, so Fry figured he would enter the market at the optimal time. He found many new entrepreneurs were attracted to the historic district, so Fry decided to take a different approach than many of the other Office Evolution locations by integrating the office into the downtown region, not the suburbs.

“We are modeled closely after the Denver location,” Fry said. “We are in a prime location for the city with everything near us like the historic district, museums and hotels.”

The location opened in the early summer of 2017, and the business center has already accumulated 70 total members with 80 percent of the offices occupied, a good start according the Fry.

“My goal would be to have a waiting list for the offices and to be at 95 percent occupancy, and we’re not far off,” Fry said.

Fry credits much of the downtown location’s success to the marketing and training support he received from Office Evolution corporate. He’s been guided through the process of obtaining clients and sustaining the need of his growing client base. Outside of the guidance he’s received from the brand, he says their location has proven to be a perfect fit for the local business scene. With the high foot traffic, Fry says he’s been able to network with hundreds of potential clients in close proximity to the office.

“But we aren’t settled yet,” Fry said. “We already have our eyes set on our second location.”

Fry said initially he was shooting to open a second location around the start of fall, but wanted to focus on getting the first location off its feet. The second location will follow a more traditional Office Evolution model, situated in the suburbs.