Extracts from video interview with Daniel Rowan

The landmark business tower situated at 85 Smith Street has changed a lot externally in the ten years Wollongong’s leading ‘digital agency’ has been head-quartered there. A recent $2m plus redevelopment has completely transformed the appearance and colour of the iconic building.

However, internal changes to Internetrix over the past twelve months since founder Geoff McQueen handed over the reins to his long term senior management team, have been much less dramatic, according to new Managing Director Daniel Rowan (DR).

In fact he stresses nearly all the major strategic settings are left largely in place, although the business now operates as three distinct units.

Internetrix’s first employee Michael David, now Director, heads up Online Performance, with fellow Director Jacinta Cali in charge of Website Projects.

DR looks after the Digital Consulting unit in addition to taking ultimate responsibility for all operational matters, including the company’s Xiamen based Chinese office headed up by local General Manager Chaoyuan Zhuang.

When WOL questioned the suitability of running a global IT based organisation from the NSW south coast, DR was quick to emphasise that he often used being based in Wollongong as a positive differentiator and often told prospects it was just another good reason why his company should be chosen as a supplier.

“I tell them we not only have a great lifestyle here but we have lower rental costs (than metropolitan CBDs) and very close links to a university which produces the most IT graduates in Australia,” he says. Note: nearly all Internetrix staff are UOW alumni including the Chinese GM and the company takes two drafts of five new UOW interns each year.

Of course he could have added being a Certified Google Analytics Partner and handling enterprise level software products for IBM also helps (Ed).

DR is quick to stress that Internetrix is now on a number of important Federal and State panels which means they are invited to bid for numerous ITC jobs around the country.

As far as building websites and improving the digital presence for institutions and larger organisations is concerned, Internetrix considers the whole Australian seaboard from Adelaide to north of Sydney and west to Canberra as its target market. (Plus China, of course.)

Wollongong, and the Illawarra region generally, still remains an important market for Internetrix which they are determined to foster despite the economic challenges faced by many locally-based industrial companies in recent years.

DR is bullish about the Wollongong market and is optimistic about the positive impact of the NBN which is being rolled out in many parts of Wollongong in the next 12 months.

He explains that the high quality interaction enabled by the NBN will also be particularly helpful to Internetrix with opportunities to improve on-going support, training and pre-sales, with vastly improved video and live chat type services.

Being an RDA Illawarra board member for the past two years and an appointee to the Broadband & ICT Sub-Committee, DR is well positioned to comment.

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