Big business in our backyard

A new business in Burnside has done more than $1.3 million in sales in their first year.

The startup, called DC2GO uses recycled shipping containers to manufacture mobile data centers and telecommunications shelters.

CEO Andrew Coe is just 25 and founded his first company at age 13.

A Dartmouth native, Coe has always wanted the unrestrained freedom of owning and operating his own business. He started small, building websites, providing online marketing services and solving business problems through software design. In 2011 he designed DC2GO.

“In our first year we’re done over $1.3 million in sales and have another $3 million on the books. Our units are helping to complete an 1,100 km high speed fibre internet infrastructure build from Dartmouth, across New Brunswick and into Quebec,” says Jessica Gomes, the chief marketing officer and Coe’s partner. “Our next project takes our units down into the U.S. to Boston. Our product is extremely unique and we are one of the only manufacturers in Canada.”

The company has been able to source trades and vendors from Burnside and Halifax and are entirely self-funded.

“As a friend of my brother, I reconnected with Andrew after completing my university degrees and began working for him. I’ve always been drawn to IT, and was drawn to Andrew’s enthusiasm for the technology and innovative ideas.”

They dedicated themselves full time to DC2GO after the development of the first prototype three years ago.

“We sell to governments, utilities, international corporations and major IT clients. We found success in our first full year of sales, earning in excess of $1 million in revenue. For 2015 we’re on track to earn over $3 million with a myriad of new projects across the Maritimes, the Eastern US seaboard and Canada.”

Gomes says their clients were always asking for the most cost effective, efficient, and secure data center services and telecommunications solutions for their IT needs. But, she says, the available service offerings were expensive, limiting, or were outsourced to foreign locations that threatened privacy and secure data custody.

“There had to be a way to provide cost effective, efficient and secure data center services to any sized organization quickly and seamlessly. To answer this question Andrew designed and deployed DC2GO; a mobile, scalable, efficient data centre solution inside of a shipping container.”

DC2GO is a data centre in a box. It is a compact, portable, scalable data centre and telecommunications solution that can be placed anywhere.

“It is constructed from a recycled ISO shipping container. DC2GO is a customizable turnkey data centre that can be built and deployed in a matter of weeks so it could be perfect for disaster recovery, data centre expansion, and telecommunications.”

Gomes and Coe were both raised in Dartmouth.

“And it was only natural that DC2GO’s home is here as well. From our manufacturing facility in the Atlantic-Gateway Logistics Park we’ve been able to take advantage of our neighbouring businesses’ services, and we’ve found it easy to connect and work with trades and vendors from Dartmouth. Burnside provides us with easy access to all resources and has made doing business logistically smoother and much easier. We’re close to reliable infrastructure backbones, transportation arteries for shipping out units, and close to all of our distributors and vendors.”

Having a business close to home allows them to have a better work/life balance.

“Owning a business means you’re never really off the clock so the convenience of being able to stop at home for lunch or head into work a little later because of a short commute is a huge benefit.”

They enjoy where they live and love where they work.

“In the past few years we’ve watched Dartmouth, especially downtown Dartmouth, experience a revival of businesses, support for entrepreneurs and new opportunities. We’re excited to be participating in the renewal and we love doing business in Dartmouth.”

Gomes encourages other entrepreneurs to see the benefits of staying in Dartmouth.

“There are a lot of benefits for start-ups and young entrepreneurs here that Halifax often has higher barriers for. Leasing can be much more inexpensive than the downtown core and the dense population of vendors and distributors in Burnside and it can make planning and logistics easy. Dartmouth offers room to expand as your business grows. Living in Dartmouth cuts down on you commute if your business is also based in the community. The Dartmouth business community is also immensely helpful and supportive and the community itself is very receptive to new ventures.”

They volunteer their time on the Board of Directors for The Portuguese Social Club of Nova Scotia.

“Andrew spearheaded the renovation and reopening of the club’s downtown Dartmouth location on Boland Road.”

As they continue to expand and earn a stronger foothold in their industry Gomes and Coe are dedicated to keeping DC2GO as a locally based company.

“We participated in two provincial trade missions to Western Europe last year and hope to begin exporting in those markets from the connections we made. From our facility in Burnside we’re able to meet global demand for DC2GO’s products.”