Alex builds a future
Security project already a winner
ALEX Harmer runs his own business, flies overseas for meetings with commercial partners and is about to recruit more staff as part of a national expansion strategy.
Not bad for a 20-year-old who still lives with his parents.
“I’ve just found what I enjoy doing early (in my life),” said Harmer, the Main Beach whiz kid who has founded his own technology solutions firm at an age most young blokes are solely focused on finding a good time.
“I’ve always had a passion for technology and was trying to find a niche in that industry, and once I did I didn’t wait to make it happen. I didn’t want to screw around so I just jumped on it.”
What Harmer jumped on as an 18-year-old was a series of conversations with builders and developers expressing frustration with the number of construction sites subject to vandalism and theft.
Sensing a gap in the market for a product that would allow potential clients to personally monitor their projects, he founded Sitesec Advantage to offer a construction site monitoring unit that includes cameras, motion detectors and mobile monitoring apps.
“Rather than outsourcing surveillance to third parties, I just saw there was a better way,” Harmer said.
“We have all this technology at our fingertips now and can give them the power ALEX HARMER
to monitor the site themselves … it’s great because the foreman can effectively always be on-site via the app but also has the ability to record 24/7, which makes it a powerful tool.”
Harmer, who combines his full-time business with studying a Bachelor of Commerce, said his latest passion continued a trend that started in his teens.
“I was a good student but my entrepreneurial spirit is what always stuck out.
“Drumming was a passion of mine so I would teach drum classes to students.
“I got into photography and then started taking photos of people as a parttime job.
“That gave me a belief about turning a passion into a career.
“If you enjoy doing something, you actually look forward to going to work.”
After launching Sitesec Advantage 18 months ago, Harmer is now looking to expand nationally next year.
He will also fly to Taiwan and China next month to meet with technology subpartners to start development of a camera unique to his firm.
“Fitting everything in has involved a few late nights but it will all be worth it,” Harmer said.
“This is something I’ve always wanted to do.”
I’VE ALWAYS HAD A PASSION FOR TECHNOLOGY AND WAS TRYING TO FIND A NICHE IN THAT INDUSTRY, AND ONCE I DID I DIDN’T WAIT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN