Tenacity pays off for software company

Published 9:28am 24 November 2021

Resilience and perseverance have been the key to success for this year’s winner of the Moreton Bay Region’s Innovation Excellence Award.

Kippa-Ring’s JESI – whose global, location-based software monitors the location of staff working remotely – was honoured with the award at the 2021 Moreton Bay Region Business Excellence and Innovation Awards.

CEO and Founder Joe Hoolahan says the team at JESI (Journeys, Events, Safety and Innovation) has worked tirelessly under challenging circumstances due to COVID to continue to deliver excellence for customers.

“It’s recognition for our team, we have had a really tough time - like any business in the past two years,” Joe says.

“It’s really testament to our team’s resilience and being true to our goals and persevering.”

Joe says the onset of COVID reinforced the importance of rigorous monitoring systems for businesses with staff working remotely.

“There’s plenty of stories, but obviously living through the last two years with employers and COVID people need to know where their people are and that they’re safe.

“Our mission at the end of the day is to get people home safe - in a world of COVID where everyone’s now suddenly aware of where their people are, where they’re travelling and that they’re OK.”

JESI’s software enables organisations to control the risks associated with a mobile workforce operating remotely across multiple geographic locations.

Keeping staff safe

“It’s a remote workforce software solution that allows organisations to know where their people are and, more importantly, if they don’t check in where they’re meant to be, they know about it very quickly,” Joe explains.

He says while in a digital world the business could work from anywhere, he and co-founder Kathy Wilson were grateful to have landed in the Moreton Bay Region from Townsville.

“We’ve been lucky to be in Moreton Bay for two years now and we’re so thankful for the support, especially from MBRIT and the wider community, which has been so welcoming.

“We’re really proud that we have attracted a lot of local people and given them an opportunity as well.

“It’s such a great place to be innovative. If you’re a decision-maker out there in a business – stop talking about it, write a cheque and be a customer.”

Kathy echoed Joe’s praise for the region.

“Oh my God I love this region so much.

“We’re originally from Townsville and we can swim in the water here, which is always a bonus.

“It’s just the spirit of the community – the business community, the general community is amazing. I love it.”