Customers looking for a complete business solution from voice and data to document management in Cape Town could soon do a double take when they find former rugby champion Bob Skinstad advising them on their technology needs.
The former Springbok captain is about to become the MD of Itec Connect Western Cape, after immersing himself in the office automation business last year.
The office will be officially launched during the Cape Town Tens rugby festival on 3 and 4 February. Since Skinstad was one of the founders of that two-day informal rugby tournament, it's fitting that he kicks off his new business venture there.
The Cape Town Tens will be staged at Hamilton Rugby Club, and Skinstad will be scrumming down as well as spreading the word about his new venture.
Itec Connect is also sponsoring a VIP hospitality marquee at the tournament, where guests, business partners and prospective clients will be able to enjoy wireless Internet access while watching the sporting action.
Skinstad first joined Itec Connect last year as a brand ambassador, and has been through intensive technology training to prepare for a far more hands-on role.
"An opportunity opened up with Itec Connect in the Western Cape and I'm going into a joint venture with the group. We are going to open an office in Cape Town on February 1st and I'll be running it," he says.
His team includes a business manager and a small sales force, and initially they will focus on small and medium businesses. "Itec is very well versed in voice and data products and video conferencing, as well as traditional copiers and printers, so it's a complete office solutions company," Skinstad says.
"People also want managed printing solutions so they don't have fluctuating printing costs on their bottom line. Itec Connect understands the customers' needs, so it's a valid option for business solutions whether you are an entrepreneur with a small business all the way through to a big parastatal."
Skinstad has done a lot of hard work in the past few months to gain the technology know-how to run the office successfully. "I'll never be as smart as the product specialists, but that's not my role," he says. "My role is to find businesses that are looking to grow and cut costs and find better ways to do what they do. My partnership with Itec has been great because everybody I have introduced to them has taken them on board in some way or another to improve their business."
Although the company prides itself on being brand agnostic, it only supplies the best-in-class office equipment and promises service excellence, Skinstad says.
"We are very excited about our partnership with Bob. We have a very similar DNA and culture, and our association has grown from strength to strength as he moves from brand ambassador to a fully fledged business manager," says Gavin Meyer, Group Managing Director, Itec Connect Group.
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