Most companies say they will follow up with you or say nothing. This was the FIRST that an owner says the candidate is the one who has to send an email to the HR Manager to express interest, and the sooner the better. Almost giving the feel of "first come first get"... This also tells me they want to feel special by hearing from candidates that we want to be accepted by him. I simply sent an email to thank them for their time. No response, as expected. One suggestion I'd offer to the owner is to save time for your HR by minimizing that type of invitation and simply leave the follow-ups to your HR person.