Family continues to drive growth of Compu-Stor products and services
Australia’s largest family owned document storage and information management business, Compu-Stor, is celebrating 30 years in business this month. The same year the West Coast Eagles made their debut, and Scott married Charlene in Neighbours, Compu-Stor was first realised by Peter Manford, who had gained his experience working at Brambles Manford.
Brambles Manford was the result of a buyout of the original Manford family business by Brambles, who for a time operated under the Brambles Manford name.
Today, Peter’s sons, Jeremy and Robert maintain full ownership and management of the business, guiding it through careful management of growth and expansion, as well as developing products and services to address the changing needs of records storage and information management.
“This milestone provides us an opportunity to both reflect on our past and look forward to our future. We celebrate dad’s entrepreneurial legacy that grew Compu-Stor from a small business turning over just $114,000 to the business it is today, and in instilling this entrepreneurial spirit in myself and my brother Jeremy,” said Robert Manford, Director and State Manager.
“As we celebrate our 30th year in business, we would like to think that our continued success can be attributed to our core values that were instilled in us at a young age which is now seen throughout the Compu-Stor culture: our family values, commitment to service and commitment to our employees.”
“Now is also the time to acknowledge that our business has changed substantially since it was first established, and it is continuing to evolve. Building upon our legacy and expertise requires further dedication and commitment to our customers, learning and understanding the needs of our customers, and innovating to meet them,” said Mr. Manford.
One of the many challenges for not only sustaining but growing a family business is around innovation and change. Compu-Stor’s family ownership and values provides an advantage in this space, giving them the flexibility and speed they need to innovate in new areas and technologies.
“For the past 12 – 18 months, Compu-Stor has been focusing on growing within the digital transformation space. Just because physical document storage is where the business started doesn’t necessarily mean it will continue to be as important. We need to be continually innovating our services and product offerings to stay at the forefront of the industry, and ahead of competitors,” said Mr. Manford.
During its 30 years of operation, Compu-Stor has witnessed the trend that has seen most Australian records management business consolidated and acquired by large, international corporations. Not only have Compu-Stor outlasted, the business has grown and thrived, maintaining its success as a family owned business.
To continue the expansion beyond the current WA, Victoria and NSW presence, Compu-Stor will continue to drive innovation, change and invest in the right technologies and the right people.
“We have strongly focused on creating a culture of innovation within the business, which includes a willingness to invest in new skills and technologies as well as new people. Driving change while staying true to our family values and principles will see us continuing to grow and expand. We look forward to celebrating many more years of business success,” concluded Mr. Manford.
Peter, Robert and Jeremy Manford are all actively involved Directors of the Company.
