EXCLUSIVE: Executives At Winnings Appliances Linked Business Settle ‘Insolvent Trading’ Allegation

Executives involved in the Winnings Appliances linked AV and custom install business ExperienceONE, and the now liquidated Digital Residence and BMR Group, settled with liquidators after they were pursued for “Insolvent Trading” new evidence has revealed.

Now questions are being asked as to why the Australian Tax Office, allowed these executives to rack up tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid tax across multiple AV Companies that were eventually placed into liquidation without bankrupting them.

Questions are also being raised as to why the Queensland based executives Mathew Manalis and Brendan Cousemacker, who were directors of BMR Group and Digital Residence are not being stopped from being involved in similar businesses after their questionable track record of leaving behind millions in debt across multiple Companies was revealed.

Another shareholder of Digital Residence was Regan Webb the former business development manager who is now in the same role at Experience One another questionable business linked with Manalis and Cousemacker.

Brendan Cousemacker, linked with Digital Residence, & BMR Group both placed into liquidation.

Mather Manalis who after placing BMR Group,& Digital Residence into liquidation is now Managing Director of ExperienceONE.

Regan Webb former business development manager at Digital Residence, BMR Group Companies that were placed into liquidation, is now business development manager at ExperienceONE working alongside Manalis And Cousemacker.

At one stage, Brisbane based liquidator James Imray determined that the business Digital Residence which was placed into liquidation with debts of over $800,000 and of which Manalis and Cousemacker were directors had traded while insolvent.

Last month Manalis and Cousemacker placed another business BMR Group, which ended up owning Digital Residence into voluntary liquidation with debts of $1,690, 217.62.

The Group owed over $1.4M to the ATO. When Digital Residence was placed into liquidation in 2018, they owed over $400,000 to the ATO.

In a report to creditors obtained by ChannelNews, Brisbane based liquidator James Imray of Rogers Reidy, determined that Digital Residence prior to being sold to BMR Group for $103,286 had traded whilst insolvent.
Manalis and Cousemacker were listed as ‘Officers of The Company’ and Web a shareholder.

The liquidator claims that at the time he investigated whether the sale of Digital Residence to BMR Group was an “Uncommercial Transaction.”

He subsequently commenced legal action in the District Court of Queensland late in November 2019 against the directors who had failed to respond to his effort to claw back $457,768 he claimed the directors owed to the Company.

Manalis and Cousemacker hired a legal team to fight the claims but ended up settling late last year.

At one stage the liquidator claimed that “It may have been necessary to bankrupt the pair to recover the money and then deal with their spouses in relation to recovering the director’s equity in their jointly owned matrimonial homes.”

The only problem is the sale of the properties did not have enough equity left in them to facilitate the debt.

In the end the liquidator after realising that a fight with the pair would not necessarily deliver him the $457K he was seeking due to a lack of assets, settled the matter for $100,000.

The settlement amount has to be paid via five monthly instalments of $12,000, and a final lump sum payment of $40,000.

As a security for the directors to perform their obligations, the directors (and their wives) also agreed to grant legal mortgages over their residential properties in favour of the company.

As the settlement was being reached it appears that BMR Group was already struggling to pay their bills with the group liquidated last month.

Despite their past record Manalis, Cousemacker and Webb are now involved in a questionable new business called Experience One.

The name ExperienceONE or ExperienceONE 2022 as they list on their web site, does not exist on the Australian Securities and Commission database of registered business names nor is it a registered Company.

A name that is linked to the trio is ExperienceONE Smart Home, via another business Captivant Pty Ltd a business that was registered on the 28th of June 2022.

The registered offices are in Southport Queensland. Officeholder is Regan Jay Webb the business development manager at ExperienceONE, the other shareholders are Manalis and Cousemacker along with a Company Jazon Pty Ltd that is owned by Jason James Gejas.

A visit to the ExperienceONE web site also fails to identify who a customer is dealing with when they visit the ExperienceONE web site despite ASIC claiming that an online business should in their terms and conditions and privacy policy contain your ABN.

On the ExperienceONE web site Matt Manalis brags about his experience in the AV and custom install industry. There is no mention of have placed several businesses in Liquidation or that he settled a claim against a previous business for ‘Insolvent Trading’ claims.

He also brags about his relationship with Winning Appliance who have not said whether they are underwriting the new business.