From Intern To Full-Time Employee:Chris Eggert’s Experience with Ivory Prize 2025 Winner, Reframe Systems

Author: Chris Eggert, Former Student Associate, Ivory Innovations

Chris Eggert

My Summer at Reframe Systems

My name is Chris Eggert, and I recently graduated from the University of Utah (May 25’) with a bachelor's in Entrepreneurship & Strategy and minors in Information Systems and Multidisciplinary Design. This past summer, I had the great opportunity to intern with Reframe Systems (Ivory Prize 2025 Winner) on their Strategy & Impact team. Reframe is a vertically integrated modular housing manufacturer that leverages robotics and automation to bring down the cost of housing.

Internship Experience

Interning with Reframe Systems was the perfect way to kick off my career after graduating this spring. I was first introduced to the company through the Ivory Prize during my internship with Ivory Innovations last year. From my first conversation with their leadership team—many of whom came from robotics and automation backgrounds at Amazon—it was obvious their mission was more than just a slogan. 

On the Strategy and Impact team, I worked alongside Jessica Boatright, a 20-year veteran of Boston's affordable housing world. My role was diverse, involving vital market and customer research for our Southern California go-to-market strategy, creating and managing marketing assets, sourcing and applying for development opportunities, and supporting the sales team by building data automation workflows and a pipeline scoring system. The work was incredibly rewarding and filled in many of the gaps between business school theory and real-world application.

I also had the chance to visit Reframe’s factory in Andover, Massachusetts, twice this summer. These trips included factory tours, opportunities to meet the company’s leadership, and attending the annual Citizens Housing & Planning Association (CHAPA) Dinner. The CHAPA event was a highlight, giving me the chance to network with professionals across the affordable housing space and learn from the community leaders who spoke.

Key Takeaways

• Mission-Driven Innovation: The first thing that stood out was how a powerful mission acts as the true engine for innovation. It was clear that Reframe isn’t just building modular homes; they are re-engineering the entire process to fundamentally solve the housing crisis. Seeing how a team's expertise from outside the housing industry could be applied to a pressing social problem was incredibly inspiring.

  
  

• Seeing the Whole Picture: My work touched everything from strategy, marketing, and sales, and it quickly became clear that nothing happens in a vacuum. It taught me that real success comes from understanding how every piece of the puzzle, from the factory floor to community meetings, fits together.

  
  

• The Human Side of Housing: Attending the CHAPA dinner was a powerful reminder of the real people at the heart of this industry. Data and strategy are critical, but they are ultimately tools to serve communities and improve lives.

What's Next?

This summer was more than just a great internship—it was a confirmation that this is the work I want to be doing. It felt like a natural fit, so I was thrilled to accept a full-time offer to join the team as a Business Analyst!

The projects I worked on feel like the perfect running start for this new role, and I’m grateful I get to jump right back in and contribute to a mission I believe in.

I have to give a huge thank you to a few people who made this possible: to Ivory Innovations for providing my foundation in the housing industry and connecting me with such an amazing organization; to Jessica Boatright for her incredible mentorship; and to the entire Reframe team for being so welcoming. I can't wait to get started and see what we build next.