Community profiles

The global TEDx movement was created in the spirit of TED’s mission, “ideas worth spreading.” Brian Keayes has been active within the Creative Industries on the Sunshine Coast for the past several years, having previously co-founded The Various Artists Creative Agency, Just Us Galleries and Analogue/Digital Creative Conference, as well as curating and producing a number of exhibitions on the Sunshine Coast. He is now at the helm of æ creative, a design-led and technologically-driven creative agency servicing a wide range of clients and industries. He also heads up TEDxNoosa and is on the board of Sunshine Coast Creative Alliance.…

Any role or industry that communicates with others is going to be profoundly affected by changes in digital technology, according to Sean Pringle. “It’s something that has to be catered for, which means people are trained to use it and the technology is designed to be user-friendly and non-threatening.” “If we want to maintain our competitiveness and become a place with attracts industries and jobs, and have a vision for the future, then we need to address the technical aspects – with internet access being number one.”  As Wikimedia Foundation’s Database Administrator, Sean says he’s found a role that allows…

Traffika’s founder and Managing Director Matt Forman has been living on the Sunshine Coast for nine years, moving here from Brisbane to raise a family. He started Traffika five years ago and now has 16 staff based on the Sunshine Coast, two in Melbourne and 20 in their Asia office. “We are entirely Cloud-based and use the full Google suite, which has allowed us to grow the business cost effectively.” Focused on digital business generation, Traffika works with corporate, government and enterprise sectors, including retail, financial and professional services. “A lot of the work we do can be delivered online,…

Aluminium Balustrade North Coast (ABnc) has been operating on the Sunshine Coast since 1981, manufacturing and supplying aluminium products for commercial and residential applications. The company introduced an IT strategy about five years ago and currently runs eight ‘best in class’ programs, including Cloud-based project management software which captures lead information, processes quotes, shop drawings, workflow collaboration and financial data. “Digital technology is my passion and hobby, and it’s something which has given the business a real competitive edge. It’s about leveraging technology to get the best results...” General Manager Sam Bevis says the technology has allowed ABnc to implement…

Stephen Neate moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2000 for lifestyle and family reasons. In mid-2002 he started working part-time building the MySunshineCoast website, followed by their first Real Estate Content Management System (CMS) during 2003. Subtle Difference is a leading edge purpose-built CMS with specific modules for the real estate industry. It currently has two full-time staff, one trainee and 2-3 part timers predominantly working remotely. What are the operating advantages and challenges to being based on the Sunshine Coast? As a digital business, we are not restricted or affected in the same manner as a brick and mortar…

Digital strategist, web designer and copywriter Annabel Candy moved to the Sunshine Coast in 2010 and set up the internationally popular travel and adventure blog called Get In the Hot Spot. Since building an engaged global community, Annabel has worked with global brands like Coca-Cola, the Canadian Tourism Commission, JetStar, Tourism NT, Holiday Inn and the Commonwealth Bank.  Annabel has also shared her experiences and spoken about blogging and social media marketing as a guest at events including the Social Media Tourism Symposium, Walkleys Media Awards and the Sanganai Travel Fair in Zimbabwe.  What are the operating advantages and challenges…

Shauna and Johannes Klupfel arrived on the Sunshine Coast in late 2012, initially looking for a lifestyle change. “We happen to have many friends who own their own businesses here and we loved the entrepreneurial vibe of the small business community,” Shauna said. “We find the smaller community makes it easier to meet and connect with people, however this also means you have less potential clients than in a metropolitan area.” Cloud Clicks offers two services: Salesforce implementations and support and online marketing with a focus on Adwords and website/sales pipeline optimisation. How are you using digital technology and systems…

Splasheo founder Gideon Shalwick came to the Sunshine Coast 2.5 years ago due to the good weather and lifestyle to start a new family, and says there’s a vibrant business community here. “The Sunshine Coast is a beautiful and inspirational place to be based. It’s where I’ve come up with some of my best business ideas. I think being close to the ocean has a lot to do with that!” Providing online video marketing products, there is no physical aspect to the business as all of Splasheo’s products, sales, delivery and logistics are digital.  “Our delivery costs are therefore virtually…