Feature
Issue No. 4 - February/March 2002
Microarts Australia
David Raffen does not procrastinate
David Raffen likes his job so much he decided to buy his employer out, just as he drove into his boss’s parking space.
Not quite—it was a buy—out offer made over the phone—but the offer was immediately tempting; in 1999 the company, Microarts, had done $30 million worth of business Australia—wide. Within a week David, who directed the local office, decided to go ahead: “I don’t procrastinate,” he said.
Though fundamentally a good company, the previous Microarts was suffering the consequences of a poor policy vis—a—vis suppliers.
“The CEO of the time lost sight of the supply chain,” David says. “He lost sight of what’s required in this industry, where the customer is relying on a fair price for good service.”
David is qualified to judge. In the IT business since 1977, when he moved over from banking, David has worked in academia as chairman of the board for the Master’s Degree in business information systems.
Microarts Adelaide was founded as a satellite branch of a 15—year—old Melbourne firm. In December 2000, just as he was settling in to the new premises on Greenhill Road, the head office called to ask whether he wanted to organise a management buy—out.
The Adelaide office then numbered four people, including David; now there are 17 and plans to hire more. Even though expanding rapidly, Microarts was debt—free after 10 months of operation which also saw the company acquire its Melbourne parent. David plans to open a Sydney office in the middle of this year.
Microarts originally limited itself to selling PCs and networking services. It still provides Microarts—branded computers assembled locally, but the business has broadened somewhat. It now comprises Microarts Computers (hardware), Microarts Australia (hardware, software sales and integration services) and Microarts Business Solutions (network design and consulting services).
“We are a full provider of info...
