Smithfield business earns a top spot in Deloitte’s Fast 50

Smithfield’s Mate Communicate has ranked second in Deloitte’s Tech Fast 50 with an astounding three-year revenue growth of 3,703 per cent.

Managing Director David Fazio at the Mate Communicate offices in Smithfield. Photo by Robert Pozo.

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Ranking second at this year’s Deloitte Technology Fast 50 with 3,703 per cent revenue growth in the last three years is Mate Communicate, a reseller of NBN services born-and-raised in Smithfield.

But the company’s founder and managing director did not attend the prestigious award ceremony at the Museum of Contemporary Arts on Thursday night.

“I’ve got a down syndrome nephew who is very close to me and it was his birthday,” said David Fazio, the 39-year-old who founded the company in late 2015. “As far as I’m concerned, family is before everything.”

In April 2016, Mate Communicate had 700 customers; today it has 45,000. The growth was spurred by the NBN company’s policy of no contracts and having local call centres in Smithfield.

Riding the wave of rapid growth was not an easy task, Mr Fazio said, but he maintains it’s paid dividends.

“I had to invest, I had to throw people at (the growing business). I threw people at it and we worked hard.”

Managing Director David Fazio (seated) with co-owner Jonathan Dundovic. Photo: Robert Pozo.

The company employed 16 people in 2017, but the headcount swelled to 36 by the beginning of 2018.

In the last financial year, the business made more than $30 million in revenue. “We invested every dollar we have,” he said.

Smithfield was chosen as the base of operations because it was central to his family and the people he wanted to hire, Mr Fazio said.

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“We pay my aunty everyday,” he said. “She cooks homemade food for the staff members and she makes the cakes for everyone’s birthdays.”

Before the year’s end, Mate Communicate will move to 1000 square-metre offices in Wetherill Park. The property is large enough that it’ll allow the business to expand its offering of consumer products.

It’s entering a new phase of growth, Mr Fazio said. Still close to Smithfield, but a long way from its humble beginnings. “When I started the business, we had two tables and I used a filing cabinet for the computer to stand up on.”

DELOITTE TECH FAST 50 - (Growth is over three years)

• 1st: Afterpay Touch Group, 8134% growth
• 2nd: Mate Communicate, 3703% growth
• 3rd: Superloop, 1860% growth