After attending Washington University in St. Louis and receiving a BFA in sculpture and photography, Charles moved to Seattle and earned his MFA in sculpture at the University of Washington. In 1993, after a year of teaching, Charles started CWDC in South Seattle.

As the business grew, the shop moved to Renton, WA. At the Renton location, the shop acquired most of its equipment, including a complete metal and wood shop. CWDC kept busy during the growth boom in Seattle and was involved in store fixture production, high end residential projects, commercial and home building renovation, fabrication of bronze water features, furniture making, collaborating with numerous blown glass artists, and fabricating public art for several artists.

Wanting to be closer to family, and shift gears away from production work, CWDC moved to Western Mass in 2008. It took six semi-trucks to move the shop equipment to its present location. The shop is located in a newly renovated and expanded tobacco barn that is 7,000 square feet.

The combination of Charles' background in art, his twenty years of experience and his well equipped shop give him a unique ability to take on projects of various challenges. He is a creative problem solver who pays attention to details and has an eye for artistic integrity.