In the early 1990s, long before Apple Stores appeared on every high street, two sisters from Melbourne - Judy Lawrence and Pamela Rothfield - took a leap into the world of technology. Leaving behind two decades in film distribution, they purchased a small computer shop specialising in Apple products. It was a bold move into an emerging industry - and one that would shape the trajectory of one of Australia's most successful technology resellers: CompNow.
We were selling Apple computers before most people even knew what a Mac was," Pamela Rothfield later recalled in an interview with The Bass Coast Post. "It was a new frontier - and we had to learn fast.
Their first week was a trial by fire - the store was robbed before they'd even settled in. But the setback only strengthened their resolve. Under Judy and Pamela's stewardship, Computers Now grew from a modest retail outlet into a trusted supplier for schools, universities, and small businesses across Victoria.
Through the late 1990s and early 2000s, CompNow evolved alongside the technology it sold. As Apple pivoted from desktop publishing to iMacs and later the iPhone revolution, the sisters shifted from retail sales toward full IT service delivery - procurement, deployment, and lifecycle management. The company became known not just for selling computers, but for helping organisations manage entire fleets of devices.
In 2001, a new generation joined the business when Renai Ingersole (previously Lawrence), Judy's daughter, came on board. Bringing fresh energy and a modern operations focus, Renai helped guide the company's expansion into education and enterprise technology solutions. Her arrival marked the beginning of a broader transformation - from family-run Apple reseller to national IT service provider.
Over the next two decades, CompNow opened offices in Sydney, Brisbane, Adelaide, Perth, and Cairns, growing to more than 450 staff. The company became an Apple Authorised Enterprise Reseller, while also forging partnerships with Dell, HP, Samsung and other global technology vendors. It positioned itself as a trusted partner to schools, universities, corporations and government agencies across Australia.
Despite its size, CompNow remains 100% Australian-owned - a rarity in an industry increasingly dominated by multinationals. The founding values of personal service and integrity, set by Judy and Pamela in the early days, still underpin the company's culture.
Our clients from the 1990s are still with us today," reads a line from the company's website. "That loyalty tells our story better than anything else.
More than three decades after its humble beginnings, CompNow is now one of Australia's largest privately owned IT solution providers - proof that innovation, resilience and family values can thrive in the fast-moving world of technology.
