ARMS Jewellery Retail Management Software Australia and NZ

CLIENT AREA

OUR TEAM

Malcolm Alderton – Founder

Malcolm entered the Jewellery Industry as an apprentice watchmaker in 1963, purchasing his own retail jewellery store in 1973, which he owned until 1988.

Advanced Retail Management Systems (ARMS) was established in 1983 after Malcolm realised that he - like all other retailers - needed help to gain total control of his business in order to improve profitability. Consequently, he designed specifications for a software package that supported the just-in-time principle of stock management. Since then, Malcolm has continued to apply his business management experiences to software development ideas, leading to and maintaining ARMS’ position as the world’s premier software package for the business development of Jewellery Stores. ARMS continues to grow and develop and now extensively markets Business Development Systems to the jewellery industry in New Zealand, Australia, the United States, Canada, Malaysia and the Caribbean.

For the past two decades, as a Business Development Consultant and Educator, Malcolm has advised owners of hundreds of quality jewellery stores in eight countries on business development issues relating to Stock, Staff, Cash Flow, expansion and multi-generations working together.

Since 1989 Malcolm has also lectured regularly at various business workshops, conferences, jewellery industry meetings and ARMS Business Development Congresses and Courses.

Malcolm is results-driven. He gives ARMS clients the focus, clarity and inspiration they need to develop their businesses and enhance their quality of life and that of their families and the staff they employ.

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Calvin Alderton – Director of Operations

Calvin joined our team in July 1992, following a short time in an administrative position with a stationery company. He steadily worked his way through the ranks of ARMS, experiencing time in each department of the company and developing a strong understanding of business. It is this vast knowledge base and wealth of hands-on experience that elevated him to his current managerial roles.

Calvin’s main focus is always to increase ARMS' level of client support by streamlining procedures to result in better quality, more efficient levels of service. He knows the importance of having each department running to maximum efficiency to give the best possible technical support and business development education.

Carolyn Line brought a wealth of marketing knowledge with her when she joined the ARMS team in December 1995. Her background as a journalist and her extensive knowledge of the media industry has been invaluable for building market awareness of ARMS, as well as creating product information for distribution.

Carolyn is also very involved in the accounting areas of the company and assists Calvin in his management of the Australian operation.

Irene has close to 30 years’ experience in the jewellery and giftware industry – her last posting was as Operations Manager of a quality jewellery chain in Kuala Lumpur, where she was responsible for the overall operations of the company, including business strategy/branding, product concept/design development, manufacturing, marketing & PR, and retail operations.

An ARMS client for 7 years, Irene had no hesitation in joining the ARMS’ team when she took retirement from her job in March 2005. In her own words: “Knowing the power of ARMS and what it has done for my previous company, I think any jeweller who consciously passes up the opportunity to use ARMS in their business is, to my mind, doing a grave disservice to his/her company. I want to share my experience and conviction of the efficacy of ARMS.”

Irene has an MBA in marketing, and with her hands-on experience in retail and other aspects of the jewellery business, she understands the needs of the jeweller. This invaluable experience is put to good use each time she sees a client. Irene is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

With a wealth of systems development, integration and management experience, Steve provides technical expertise and strategic direction to the research and development team. He holds a Bachelor of Business degree in Commercial Computing, and has developed and managed software development projects, in both DOS and Windows, for a number of national and international corporations since 1989. With hands-on industry experience in retail accounting systems, jewellery appraisal systems and various other management information systems, Steve represents an invaluable resource to the ARMS team.

A Senior Analyst/Programmer with 15 years of commercial experience designing and building applications software, Jim’s qualifications include a Bachelor of Business degree in Computing and an Associate Diploma in Small Business Management. In his earliest years, work commenced for him building networked DOS applications, progressing to IBM mainframe applications development, and then to Windows applications using the latest Internet and business systems integration technologies. His consulting roles have covered many assignments with businesses such as banks, insurance companies, hospitals, telecommunications companies, railways, and various government agencies. Jim brings to ARMS the skills that ensures its place at the forefront of modern business systems.

Paul joined the ARMS Client Services team in December 2002 bringing with him previous experience in the computer and networking industry. Paul graduated from the University of Texas in San Antonio with a Bachelor of Science degree in the field of Mathematics. He has earned Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer certification and Cisco Certified Network Associate certification. Paul continues to seek higher certifications to stay up to date with today’s technology standards.

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Geoff Waters - Accounts Administrator

Geoff joined the ARMS team in February 2008 as Accounts Administrator.

With a Bachelor of Business from Victoria College he brings a wealth of experience from his Banking, Construction, Hospitality and Accounting background.

When it comes to the weekends he enjoys spending time with family and friends and the odd game of golf.

Marisa joined the ARMS team in 1989 after completing a Receptionist and Administration course at business college, followed by several positions in the real estate industry, culminating in property management position. The organisational skills Marisa developed during her early years have been important in her roles at ARMS, firstly as receptionist, through all levels of administration including Accounts Administrator.

In 2005 Marisa took several months Maternity Leave when Christopher was born but is now back on the team part time, supporting all areas of administrations.

Abby joined the ARMS team in November 2005. Through years of domestic and international travel, she has developed strong skills in customer relations and building partnerships. With her prior experience in a number of industries including travel, retail management, hospitality and executive administration, she enjoys bringing a fresh outlook to the company’s growth. She works very closely with the Client Services, Business Development and Administration teams both in the USA and Australia offices.

Outside of the office, Abby enjoys spending time with her family and friends, days at the beach, travel, and is very active in the community. She volunteers with the Las Vegas Valley Humane Society, as an adoption counselor as well as a foster mom. She also enjoys spending time with her dogs Bruno and Bonnie, and her cat Quinn.

Katrina joined the Advanced Retail Management Systems team in 2000, bringing with her a wealth of customer service knowledge. Katrina's excellent administration skills, gained while working for the Commonwealth Bank, have been a great asset in her role as Administration Assistant. With her ever present smile and professional attitude toward work, Katrina brings great strengths to our administration department. Katrina is also very active in supporting our Business Development team and works very closely with our clients.

After graduating from high school I gained a certificate in business management at Polytech and then went on to work in a retail department store for a few years when I decided to move from New Zealand to Australia.

After completing a short course in Office Administration at the Gold Coast Tafe, I joined the ARMS team as Director of First Impressions.

Outside of work I enjoy socializing with my friends, my ultimate goal in life is to gain a degree in social services and become a counsellor.

Bennie joined the ARMS Client Services team in January 2003 after owning his own business in the tourism industry for seven years. His past experience in training and customer support is extremely valuable to our team. Bennie also has a Diploma of Information Technology which enables him to utilise his previous experience within a retail customer support environment.

Shannon Graven joined the ARMS team in 2005 to take another step in her career within the IT industry. Shannon started her work with computers by earning an associate of computer science, before receiving her Microsoft Certified Professional Certificate. Prior to joining ARMS, Shannon was employed in the Gaming industry as a Network Technician and a Hardware/Software Trainer. Her enthusiasm for computers has led her down various paths including web pages, motion graphics and interactive curriculum development.

Maria joined our team in November, 2006 in the Client Services division and brings over seven years’ experience in the IT field, most notably in the Help Desk and Database programming fields. She has her Bachelor’s degree in Information Technology and is also studying for technical certifications. Contributions to previous employers included an instruction manual program, database development and was also fundamentally responsible for implementing many technical projects.

A new resident to the southern Nevada region from New York, Maria enjoys travel and spending time with her husband and two Golden Retrievers, Buddy and Brandi.

Derek joined the Arms Client Services team in November 2006. He has over 15 years of experience in helpdesk, system and network support. His past roles have been working as a Consultant, Field Engineer and a Systems Manager. Derek’s education is in Information Technology from Southwest College.

Sheila joined ARMS Client Services team in 2007 after moving to the Gold Coast from Sydney where, for the past 10 years, she worked for a software house implementing software and hardware solutions to the retail and hospitality industry. During this time she specialised in application software support from front of house to stock control and financials. Sheila’s skills and experience make her a valuable member of the existing ARMS team.

Zac recently joined the ARMS Client Services team. After more than eight years in Bosnia-Herzegovina Telecommunications & IT Departments, Zac moved to Australia and worked as a Telecommunications Officer for five years. He then spent a year working in the IT field in Canada to further his experience.

Zac relocated to Australia, completed a Microsoft Approved Network Management Course and Network Engineering Diploma at TAFE, whilst working four years as a Broadband Support Officer.

Recently joining the ARMS client services department, Kazuya has spent the past three years at Griffith University completing a Bachelor of Information Technology degree majoring in Software Engineering. After studying various areas in the IT field he has experienced a vast number of 3GL & 4GL programming languages including Java, C, C++, SQL and simple web based coding algorithms. Kazuya has previously worked on small web development projects over the duration of his university studies and have gained a wide experience in the web programming industry. When it comes to weekends he enjoys spending time with his family and an occasional game of tennis with his younger sister who is currently playing full time tennis.

Rudy Calzada joined ARMS Client Services team in June, 2007. He brings 13 years of experience in the IT Field as a Computer Technician, Service Manager for VAR and for the past five years as a Help Desk Technician.

Rodney grew up in Salt Lake City Utah. After high school, he attended technical college and acquired several IT Industry Certifications. While in Utah, Rodney worked for several companies including DirecTV, VoiceStream, Microsoft Network/MSN, Qwest Telecommunications, Cisco TAC, and eBay. While working for these companies he gained a great deal of experience by the variety of positions he held. When Rodney is not working, he enjoys snowboarding and spending time with family and friends. He enjoys traveling, loves sushi, watches more cartoons than news and loves to be entertained by the funny things in life.

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Ken Johnston – Management Consultant / Coach

Ken joined the Business Development team in 2000 after working as a business development consultant for many years with a wide range of clients, both large and small businesses, in a diverse range of industries. This experience has given him a knowledge base of ideas and strategies that have proven successful.

Ken has counseled clients on a vast array of issues including stock control; cash flow budgeting; staff management, training and motivation; and overall improvements in performance. He has particular expertise in giving ARMS clients a very structured course of action with clearly defined targets, which are designed to increase profitability. His objective is to help clients understand their business better, and in doing so, for them to work smarter rather than harder.

Ken thrives on challenges and welcomes the variety of concerns that are presented by the differences in each business he deals with. He derives a high degree of personal satisfaction from helping the independent business owners that make up the ARMS family to take control of their business and achieve their goals - less stress, more income and more personal freedom.

Joining the Client Services team in 2003, Des has more than 16 years of diverse experience in the retail industry giving him a comprehensive background in management and customer service. Des completed a Diploma of e-business majoring in Networking and Support, these skills together with his past experience have made him a key player in the ARMS team.