Los Gatos Weekly-Times

Bulletproof's 12 employees work in a real virtual office

Frank Stagnaro

BULLETPROOF Corporation has been operating in Los Gatos for four years. It is eminently successful, is growing steadily, employs 12 people and is one of the nation's best-known companies in its specialized field. But don't try to find it. And don't try to visit the company to see what's going on. There's nothing to find or visit.

Bulletproof is an authentic example of a true virtual office business, operating completely online. The only shingle they've posted is on the Internet.

According to CEO Scott Milener, there are probably fewer than two dozen firms like Bulletproof in the entire country. "A lot of supposedly virtual offices are listed on the Internet," Milener says, "but the number actually doing serious business with leading businesses is remarkably small."

Instead of commuting to a central office, Bulletproof employees work out of their homes, using a company-designed Intranet. This is a private network across which employees can access corporate data, send messages, teleconference, etc. When face-to-face meetings are necessary, employees gather at a local restaurant or cafe or assemble at the Los Gatos home of one of the company's founders.

"We find that our employees are happier and more productive with this arrangement," Milener, who was a co-founder of the company, says. "They don't waste time commuting and starting the day already irritated by fighting bumper-to-bumper traffic." He also notes that a virtual office has minimal overhead expenses, and there is no need to buy furniture or rent operating space.

Bulletproof was established in 1994 by Peter Muller (now chief technical officer) and Milener, both of whom have been Los Gatos residents since 1992. The objective of the company was to create computer programs that would allow investors to track and trade their stocks.

"Then Java, Sun Microsystem's language for Internet programming, came along in 1995," Milener says. "We felt it had a great potential, and we relaunched Bulletproof entirely around Java database application-development tools."

The gamble appears to have paid off. Bulletproof is now one of the most respected companies creating Java development products. Although still small (with less than $1 million in revenues in 1997), the company has evolved into a going concern in a fiercely competitive market.

"We've done all this without venture capital," Milener says. "We've bootstrapped the business almost entirely on product revenues, with only a very small amount of private funding."

The company has an impressive customer list. Its clients include Fed Ex, Continental Airlines, Stanford University and AT&T. The firm is partnered with Microsoft and Netscape and is a strategic partner of Sun Microsystems.

Milener says Bulletproof is well positioned to capitalize on its JDesignerPro product. He points out that IDC, a major research firm, predicts the market for Java tools and servers will pass $2 billion by the year 2001.

"The market is competitive," he admits, "but Bulletproof has the only system that includes all the necessary features to both develop and deploy a Java application.

The corporation's unusual name comes from its founders' insistence that all its software products be of the highest quality possible. No flaws. No gaps. No holes.

To see what a virtual office looks like, get on the Internet and call up www.bulletproof.com.

BLACKWELL BROTHERS Construction is building a two-story commercial/apartment complex on the corner of Magneson Loop and Los Gatos Boulevard. General superintendent Jamie Pantuso reports the project will be completed by late August or early September. "There will be two street-level offices, each comprising 900 square feet," he says. "The two second-floor apartments will be 1,275 square feet each. They will be very upscale, with plush bathrooms and balconies overlooking Magneson Loop. The overall appearance of the building will be that of a residence rather than a business."

Leasing information can be obtained from Alain Pinel representative Brenda Duchesne at 741-1111.

STOR-IT of Los Gatos will be ready to store small-size personal and business items by the end of summer. The creation of Los Gatos developers Bill Errico and Dennis Chegwin, the ministorage facility under construction at the corner of Blossom Hill Road and University Avenue will contain 200 "size to fit" spaces. in a three-story building of 20,000 square feet.

According to the two developers, both of whom have lived in Los Gatos for 25 years, the new facility will have advanced on-site security in the form of cameras and other electronic devices, as well as a personal attendant present on weekends. The site will be landscaped to complement the setting of Vasona Park directly across Blossom Hill Road.

Chegwin notes with some nostalgia that they had to demolish the Department of Motor Vehicles' first Los Gatos location. "I got my first driver's license in that building," he says.

On the more positive side, Errico says, "At least that old wall fronting the Blossom Hill sidewalk won't be falling down all the time."

Wondering what's going up on a specific corner in Los Gatos or whatever happened to a local business that suddenly disappeared? Have a hot tip about local business? Frank Stagnaro reports in the Los Gatos Weekly-Times once a month. Call him at 374-5881.

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