Tell Us About Your Workplace

Scott Coles - CEO, Optalert Australia

This week we sat down with Scott Coles of Optalert, a tech company that is changing the way we detect driver fatigue. BRM Projects has enjoyed a long standing relationship with Optalert, working with its innovators over a number of different projects over the years. Scott kindly agreed to share the challenges and benefits of his workplace from the perspective of  CEO.

We've been working with Optalert for many years now and we've enjoyed watching it grow. As CEO, can you name some defining moments in the company's journey?
Optalert pioneered technology to measure and quantify drowsiness more than a decade ago. We sell our products globally to some of the largest mining and transport companies in the world to keep their workers safe and minimise lost production due to fatigue related incidents. 2018 was a pivotal year for us when we started applying our technology to pharmaceutical trials and neurological conditions. Right now we have trials going on in multiple hospitals in Australia where we are looking at predicting and detecting epileptic seizures.

What makes Optalert a successful workplace? (What are the elements that distinguish your workplace from others in your industry)
Small companies have the edge over large companies in one particular area, they can adapt quickly to changing circumstances. Whether the influence is external, such as a market change, or internal – being able to capitalise on the change and move quickly is the mark of a successful company.

From a property point of view, what are some of the challenges Optalert has faced?
With our existing business, the majority of our customers were overseas, so the office focus was very much internal, we were able to focus almost exclusively on the staff environment. Finding the right location to attract staff, and then balancing costs to achieve the best outcome is always a challenge.

How has BRM helped you overcome these challenges? 
BRM have been supportive, creative and cost effective in equal measures. They have provided advice when we have sought new premises, and renegotiated a lease on our behalf.  Working within all the different constraints that exist when moving to a new location is always challenging, and they helped us to do that with ease and create a great workplace environment.

Looking forward, what are your goals for Optalert's workplace in the future? (i.e, company culture, location, workspace) 
Our goal will always be to provide an environment where people want to come to work. People always have a choice of where they work, and we want people to choose Optalert. A central location, close to transport and an attractive, inviting workspace environment is essential. . A level of layout flexibility has also been important to allow for changing dynamics and growth of the company as we adapt from being a hardware centric technology company to a data driven Med-Tech company.

​Learn more about Optalert's groundbreaking technology here 

To discover how BRM Projects can unearth the possibilities of your workplace contact us for a chat about your current situation!