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Comtext began in 1998 when Phil Dye, the ex Director of Studies at the APM Training Institute wondered why students had such a hard time finding their recommended texts. He established Comtext to primarily service students from APM, yet the business quickly grew to include Kenvale College at Randwick. Jessie, Phil's border Collie became a fixture at College sales days and was the only other employee of Comtext in the early years.
The internet in 1999 was still very new and online shopping wasn't trusted. Phil saw however, that the online medium was the way of the future and launched the Comtext website in 2000. While poorly designed and very 'clunky', the site did cater to the two partner colleges with 6% of sales being from the internet. During this time, the business was run from a garage in Crows Nest. Phil admits..."There was one time when the rain pelted down and a drain outside the garage became blocked. The water rose and flooded the garage - the entire bottom layer of boxes turned to mush. There was no insurance, and $9,000 worth of books were destroyed. I knew then it was time to look for a warehouse."
In 2003, Comtext added Macleay College and also began providing books in bulk to several colleges around Australia. In 2005, The 1600 student International College of Management Sydney was added as a partner college together with the Blue Mountains Hotel School, Billy Blue School of Hospitality, Lloyds College and the Australian International Hotel School. Due to this enornmous growth, Comtext was no longer a 'cottage industry' and employed others to help in and frequently run the business. MEGT Institute, Mosman Community College, The Hotel School and the AAFTA College became clients in 2008 and as APM merged into THINK Education, APM College of Business was added to the Comtext partner list.
Today Comtext operates from a warehouse in Artarmon and supplies books to over 6000 students yearly. Online sales grow by around 5% each year with 2009 seeing 35% of all sales being via the website. While much larger than ever imagined, Comtext has retained its personal 'relationship centred' approach with students and administrators. Jessie, while older and slower, still occasionally rides in the back of the van on top of the boxes. Unfortunately, she still hasn't learned to unload the van.