A new software development company has opened its doors at the Fawcett Professional Centre on Main Street in Sackville.
The Tribune-Post sat down with founder and CEO Steve Scott and general manager Colin McNeil of Zedfast Solutions on Monday. The pair have been traveling the world working, contract-to-contract, pursuing software opportunities in Africa, the Caribbean, Europe and Australia to name a few. After collaborating on and off for nearly 15 years, Steve and Colin have now teamed up and are focusing on mobile development. Zedfast Solutions develops specialized mobile software such as applications or ‘apps’ for mobile devices such as iphone, ipad, and Android cell phones.
Steve moved to Sackville with his wife and two young children two years ago when he was ready to settle down after years of traveling. Originally from Bathurst, N.B., he says, “Sackville was the ideal location to settle down and raise my family.”
Steve founded the company around the same time he moved to Sackville and recently started to expand in June.
“Our experience in Sackville has just been amazing,” Colin said, noting that people are really happy and keen that they are here.
“The local community has been very supportive, especially the university,” he said.
Steve already helps out with the cross-country team at Mount A and Colin says he can’t wait to start getting involved with the community.
The idea was to set up a home base and they said they are still interested in international contracts but the two agreed they plan to remain in Sackville.
“We’re done (traveling) outside the country,” Colin said.
The company is looking forward to taking advantage of the university and its resources and has already began fostering a relationship with Mount Allison’s computer science department and hopes to develop that through co-op programs and the creation of a Zedfast Mobile App Society on campus. In the future, graduates of the computer science program will have great opportunities with the company.
Currently Zedfast is working on e-learning; they are repurposing the concept of education through CD-Roms and online courses for use on mobile devices like the iPad or iPhone.
Zedfast recently hired two programmers to work out of their office in Sackville and has two programmers on contract working from their homes in Moncton. They are looking to hire locally or convince potential employees to move to Sackville. People that have programming talent and are interested in mobile technology are invited to apply.
