Founder And Managing Director
Allnet Technologies Pty Ltd
Sydney Australia
The allNET story:I founded allNET as a business with a focus on evolving corporate requirements for computer-network data-communication cabling in the late 1980s. allNET’s initial product range covered both copper and fibre optics components.The company’s start-up funding was $5,000. Within three years, revenues had exceeded $5.5 million. During this period, I was responsible for sales, finance, operations and marketing. By 1993, allNET’s revenue had plateaued at $7 million and I became the sole shareholder of the company, an event that necessitated a significant rebuild of allNET’s structures and finances. This period saw significant upheaval due to the entry of a number of large multinationals into the local market. allNET’s major suppliers were American based. Our largest suppliers were AT&T (which became Lucent and then Avaya), Berk-Tek (now part of the Alcatel group) Methode and The Siemon Company to name but a few. The maintenance of the supplier relationships was a critical plank to the success of allNET. This required constant travel/communication to the USA. By maintaining long-term relationships with each supplier’s decision makers allNET was able to leverage the strengths of each company.allNET’s growth was self-funded and by 1999-2000 enjoyed a market share of around 17%, and revenue was approximately $20 million. The company had a staff of 24, with offices in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra. In January of 2001, the company I founded in 1989 was acquired by Anixter Australia - a wholly owned subsidiary of Anixter Inc. (AXE - NYSE) - www.anixter.com