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Motivated to change his lifestyle, founder of PB Tech Pat Huo forged his own path after setting aside $30,000 to launch what is today New Zealand’s largest hardware reseller. In an interview session with Reseller News, Huo discusses his migration to New Zealand, career journey and unleashes on his passion for singing.
Tell us about yourself, where you grew up and your journey migrating to New Zealand (and why New Zealand?)
I grew up in Beijing, China, and graduated at a local university studying automation.
I was motivated to change my lifestyle and had big dreams. So, in 1991, I travelled to Australia and studied English for two years. In 1993, I moved to New Zealand looking for a better future.
For the first few months after I arrived, I went to interviews and tried to get a job but despite having computer technician experience, nobody would hire me.
I look back now and think thank goodness nobody hired me, as it set me on a better path. In the end I was worried I would run out of money so I had no option but to start PB Tech with the $30,000 capital that I had. I got my NZ citizenship in 1996, and really love living and working here.
What was your first job?
My first job after university was working for the government in Beijing for five years as a computer technician doing repairs including replacing chips on motherboards and building PCs. I enjoyed the work very much and I am still very passionate about technology.
How did you get started in the retail space?
The first PB Tech location was in Panmure and was a small 15 square metre upstairs space on the main retail street.
The business was not originally a typical retail shop, but started as a computer repair shop offering services to all New Zealand customers, whether they were consumers or businesses.
Our focus was just as much on commercial customers as consumers right from the start and that continues to this day. As the business grew, I always tried to buy in bulk for better pricing so I could pass on the savings to my customers and this enabled the business to accelerate.
We have never lost sight of this, and our motto is still “Saving you money since 1993”.
From there, I just followed the river and grew into retail. If there was an opportunity, I took it. Hamilton was the second branch followed by Wellington.
Then the Panmure operation was moved to Station Road in Penrose and this became our first head office with combined retail and warehouse capacity.
Eleven years ago, we moved to our current HQ in Manukau, with a 10,000+ square metre logistics centre, retail shop and HQ offices. Many other branches have followed over the years and we have 19 locations today. I just followed the opportunities as they presented themselves.
How has PB Tech grown and evolved throughout the years?
We started with nothing, but there have been key points which have accelerated the business.
Starting from a small base, the growth was slow at first. We attracted loyal customers and grew our branches and the business had good momentum after the first decade. However, it was getting larger and more complicated.
At this time, I knew that to take it to the next level I was going to need some help, so I approached Darren Smith who was running the OEM business at Microsoft NZ at the time and asked if he would join me. He didn’t say yes the first time, but eventually he agreed.
Darren has great expertise in process design and programming and really set the company on a track where it could scale tremendously and become far more successful. This was a key point in our evolution.
What have been some of your proudest achievements with the business?
Having customers say thank you because we saved them money makes me very happy. We have always strived to offer fair pricing and good service and our customers keep coming back as that is what they want.
It was never a goal, but realising that PB Tech has become the largest technology hardware reseller in New Zealand is something that I am very proud of.
We just kept adapting to what our customers wanted and that has been the outcome. I was also very humbled to be inducted into the Reseller News Hall of Fame in 2023, which was unexpected.
Did you ever think PB Tech would grow into the business that it is today?
No, it was not what I set out to do. I just had huge focus and passion for the business, plus great timing and perhaps a little bit of luck.
Originally my dream was to grow a business where I could make $100,000 a year. But the business has grown incredibly over the last 31 years; I never thought that one day it would be this big.
We just continued to focus on the opportunities that arrive and make the most of each of them. Even today, we can still see so many opportunities and have plans to grow further.
What are your plans for PB Tech?
Looking forward, I believe PB Tech can still get stronger and stronger.
PB Tech has never stopped evolving and we have plans to expand into new areas in the years ahead. We are starting new business units, looking at new product lines and reviewing our location strategy. There is never a boring day at PB Tech – it constantly changes.
What are some of your interests and hobbies outside of work?
I love to sing and perform with a talented group of musicians who all work at PB Tech (PB Band) at a number of events including the annual PB Tech Christmas Party.
The highlight was doing two concerts at the Auckland Town Hall to celebrate PB Tech’s 30th Birthday last year. This was the realisation of a dream as singing is my first love.
I also love to fish; whether with family, the PB Team or on many industry events, it is always enjoyable. My third interest is closely related to fishing and that is I love to cook. Feeding friends and family brings me great joy.
Who inspires you and why?
To be honest, I just try to do the best I can with what I have. I am not looking at what others have or what they are doing, as my opportunities and challenges are different to what others face.
I just focus on what is in front of me, and I am very proud of what PB Tech has become and am still excited for the future.