Qfinsoft Q & A

…an edited interview with Jan Visser and Frank Conradie.

1. Why are there so many model airplanes on display in your office?

Jan: Our clients are worldwide. At the moment we have clients in Japan, Korea, Singapore, Europe, Italy and also the biggest market for us potentially at this time is the U.S. I fly on many different airplanes.

2. What kind of software is Qfinsoft developing and marketing?

Jan: Our core focus is the cooling of electronic systems. We develop software that companies use to simulate the thermal performance of electronic systems.

We also optimize energy efficiency. It's the higher end of the technology spectrum.

3. How did you come up with the business name Qfinsoft?

Jan: Q is the engineering symbol for heat flow. Fins dissipate heat. We create software. Hence Qfinsoft.

4. Is this a growing industry?

Jan: The technology industry has been pretty stagnant for the past three years, but we believe we are on the brink of an upturn in the global market.

5. Are you hiring new programmers?

Jan: In terms of the engineering support we really need people with at least a master degree preferable a PhD.

Frank: We need someone who is really passionate about programming and when I say programming I don't mean making websites, which is what everybody I've interviewed so far thinks programming is. We need someone who knows programming languages in depth. Someone with a mathematical background. It has to be combination of math and computer science.

6. Was it easy to emigrate from South Africa?

Jan: Whenever you deal with government officials it's always a bureaucracy that doesn't feel for you. It was an extremely slow and extremely unfriendly experience. You can't phone anybody at Canada Immigration you have to leave them a message and hope they phone you back.

7. Did you and Frank know each other in South Africa?

Frank: I had a small software development company based at the University of Pretoria and was doing a lot of work for the people at the university. I started doing contract work for Jan. When the opportunity came along to join him in the business and come over here than that's what I did. I've been here three years.

8. Would you say your business was still in the early stages of development?

Jan: Yes. Although we've been selling software with limited capabilities for the past six years, we are just now ready to release the kind of software we really want to integrate into the market.

9. Do you have any competitors?

Jan: We believe we're moving into a niche market, which is not addressed by existing people in this field. We are not really competing with other main line developers.

Frank: What we do here is really a creative process. It is very tough and challenging because it's unique. Nobody else has done exactly what we are doing and it requires hard work and a lot of creativity, effort, and trial and error.

10. What kind of support and assistance did you receive when you started the business?

Jan: Marten Kruysse (RDKB Economic Development Officer) introduced us into the existing business community.

Frank: Other good programs like KAST and the National Research Council (NRC) gave us some help later on.

11. How do you see the company growing in the next few years?

Jan: I would like to see us expand our consulting division. I'm an engineer, I'm not a computer programmer, and so I like to be involved in technical, physical projects. That's what I'm missing at this point in time.

12. Were there any impediments or roadblocks that challenged you?

Jan: The whole infrastructure is a challenge. Why would somebody relocate to Rossland? You've got poor air access, it's not really cheaper, and you've got the highest taxes in B.C. I think Rossland needs to create a much more positive business environment that says: we want business here.

13. Why did you decide to build this brand new building? Wasn't there anything available already you could use?

Frank: We did look at Trail, the most professional looking offices were in Trail, but we didn't want to commute. We definitely needed a place with the right professional look especially if we want to do consulting. You want to project a certain corporate image.

14. Why is the corporate image important?

Jan: Because this is what your company is. When we get people coming out in the future for training using our software, this is what they will see. Our building is on our videos when we do presentations.

Frank: Our customers include some really big customers like Intel. They have expectations of what a professional office should look like.

15. Are you happy with the way the building turned out?

Jan: Yes. It is a total of 3,000 square feet. Rob Matthes (Matthes Building Design) designed it and I'm happy with how it came out.

16. Do you have any suggestions to improve the climate for new business development?

Jan: Somebody on the City Council should have the task to develop business in this area. It should be that person's responsibility and they should have a plan in place. I don't see any plan for business in Rossland. Rossland is a nice town but there are probably a hundred more nice towns in B.C.

Broadband was promised to us three years ago yet we don't see any progress. Broadband opens up tremendous opportunities for businesses like ours. We could do video conferencing, a lot of things using broadband. We can have our own in-house servers. Now we have to host the server in Kelowna or Toronto or wherever. Those things are important.

17. Has Rossland benefited from your business locating here?

Jan: Absolutely. This building - people have come and thanked us for building this building. It's proven that every professional person hires so many non-professional people. We build an office; how many jobs have we provided? If we keep on going we'll build another office.

18. How else can the South Kootenay area attract entrepreneurs?

Jan: The community must really want to have them here. There are entrepreneur programs at Universities. I'm pretty sure UBC has a program like that. The area will have to market to those people to get them interested in this area; but it comes down to a market plan.

A lot of people in bigger cities are frustrated with the city and they want to get out. But you have to understand that links with other entrepreneurs are pretty important, even for us. We're fortunate we have other people, a person in Toronto who works with us. You have to have some links and that is where the bigger centres will always have an advantage over here.

19. If you weren't doing this what else would you be doing?

Jan: The alternative would be to go into big company management. I like to create new opportunities. I think that's where my strength lies. I can create an idea and someone else can follow up and run with it. I think it's important at a senior company level to create new ideas.