Fredericton teen profits from digging people out of storms

While some students were lucky enough to go south for March break, the week was all business for a Fredericton teen trying to profit off Thursday's nor'easter.

"A lot of the people were just away on vacation … in the nice warm weather, and they don't want to come home to a full snowed-in house," said Cameron Ritchie, founder of Homewurk, a service that connects students with odd jobs across the city.

Before the storm even hit Thursday, the 17-year-old had lined up 40 high school and university students for shovelling and snowblowing driveways for residents across the capital city and surrounding area.

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"We had the whole city of Fredericton to spread us all out," he said.

The young entrepreneur said most of the shovelling happened Thursday morning, when people were trying to get to work. Students also shovelled decks, pathways and porches.

He said many students will bring their own trucks, snowblowers and shovels to get a job done.

Ritchie, who plans to take engineering at the University of New Brunswick next fall, said his team would be out again Friday doing the final bits of snow-removal before the next storm hits on the weekend.

"The storm has finally stopped and you can clear everything," he said.

Matching jobs to people

Homewurk has been running for just over a year and the Fredericton teen said business is booming.

The local business started after dozens of Ritchie's peers were complaining they couldn't get work around the city and were looking for jobs to pay for university.

"They're really hard-working students and I see that," he said. "I'm like, 'Why can't they get a job? That's not really fair.' Employers are missing out.

"On the other hand you hear adults saying how busy they are … so I thought, 'Why don't I match these two demographics up?'"

Usually when I'm in school, like at lunch, I'm still working. I'm dispatching, organizing payments.-Cameron Ritchie, founder of Homewurk

He described the system as a two-in-one service — in other words, "killing two birds with one stone."

"A student comes by and the job gets done," he said.

But the job does come with demands.

When Ritchie is in school, the workload carries on. His teachers allow him to take calls from potential or returning clients in class and he'll arrange to hire a student over his lunch break.

"Usually when I'm in school, like at lunch, I'm still working," he said. "I'm dispatching, organizing payments."

Now the Leo Hayes High School student has about 200 people working for him.

Jobs are year-round and can consist of everything from helping seniors move from homes to condos, to painting decks and shovelling driveways during major snowstorms.

A homeowner suggests a price, but Mitchell has to decide whether it's reasonable.

Employees are paid once the job's done.

"I always make sure my students get paid, that's my priority," he said. "People in Fredericton are so, so generous that I'm always super proud to say that I'm from here."

More snow, please

He's hoping to benefit from more snow days over the weekend and into next week.

"I'm excited to help my peers and help people around Fredericton … they might not be able to shovel [on] their own or they would just rather sit down with a cup of coffee instead of being out in the cold."

In coming weeks, the high school entrepreneur is hoping to expand his business and reach out to more high school and university students. He'll do this by growing the business's presence on social media and going door to door, seeking clients.

"The more jobs we get, the more students get a snow-day pay," he said.