Monday, September 28, 2009

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Courier job inspires transport software

Burke Campbell,  Financial Post

Brett Gundlock/National Post

Complete Innovations

completeinnovations.com

CEO: Tony Lourakis

Location: Toronto

The son of Greek immigrants, Tony Lourakis, is no stranger to hard work.

In his teens, he worked for his father's office-cleaning company. But it was
the combination of studying computer science and dreaming of developing a
software product and working for a courier company part-time that sparked the
idea for his first software innovation.

"While researching other North American couriers, I realized giant delivery
firms could track their fleets, but the smaller ones couldn't afford such
technology. For instance, a pizza delivery firm couldn't know where their
drivers were," Mr. Lourakis says.

By 2004, CourierComplete, a Windows-based software for couriers was the most
widely used software in the industry.

It was followed by Fleet-Complete, a global positioning software that
combines a mapping engine with tracking. It lets a company visually monitor each
car or truck in its fleet as the couriers travel their routes.

Complete Innovations software is bundled with Telus service allowing
companies to pay a monthly fee for both the hardware and software necessary for
maintaining wireless dispatch.

"This relationship with Telus, a company with national reach, helped propel
us into $10-million in revenues," Mr. Lourakis says.

The company continues to look for ways to introduce fleet monitoring,
including software that tracks fuel use at transportation firms.

"We've reached a point where people will want to monitor their assets,
whether it's their dog, their jewellery; their car. They will wish to know where
it is, and if it's safe," he says.

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