AtomicPark.com

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AtomicPark.com, LLC
Image:APLogo_Blue_bkg.gif
Type Private
Founded 1998
Headquarters Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Key people Anthony Boldin, President/CEO/Founder
Products Software & Video Games
Revenue $38.5 million USD (2005)
Employees 4 (2007) industry = Retail
Slogan Super Software. Swell Prices. Splendid Service.
Website www.atomicpark.com

AtomicPark.com is an online software retailer founded in 1998 that offers retail box and direct downloads of software titles from a variety of manufacturers including Microsoft, Adobe, Corel, Symantec, and others. AtomicPark.com, LLC is based in Milwaukee, WI and has been awarded Future 50 status by the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce (MMAC) in 2002, 2003 and 2005. They were also honored by the Milwaukee Business Journal in 2005 with a Mid-Market Growth Award, which recognizes the fastest growing Milwaukee-area midsize companies for their outstanding achievements in increasing revenue growth over the past three years.

In 2001, the company notified approximately 500 of its customers that credit card numbers had been stolen from it, advising them to contact their credit card providers, and noting that the thief had attempted to divert money from a corporate credit card to Indonesia. A spokesman for the company stated that it had responded to this by bringing in the FBI and taking "measures to make sure this can't happen again".

2006 saw rapid expansion at AtomicPark.com with the company increasing its product line from software only to video games, computer hardware, and consumer electronics. It was also in this year that the company was recognized in the Top 500 Guide by InternetRetailer.com where they currently rank #207.

In March 2007 the company showed signs of deteriorating customer service likely due to rapid growth over the previous 12 months. Neither their online chat system, email or telephone allowed any normal user to contact the company to deal with minor matters. Issues such as address changes or delivery status were nearly impossible to resolve. It would have helped if their reception actually took phone calls.

On March 28, 2007, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and Milwaukee Business Journal reported that the company's founder and CEO, Anthony Boldin, was facing multiple lawsuits for charges ranging from Microsoft copyright infringement to labor violations to unpaid vendor debt.

An employee quoted in the Journal Sentinel article stated that 90% of AtomicPark employees resigned in the month of March 2007. The company, which employed 40 people in early 2007, had been reduced to 4 employees.

Boldin did not respond to reporters' attempted contacts until after the stories were published. The original Business Journal online article was revised on the afternoon of March 27 to include Boldin's rebuttal. Despite two previous Microsoft complaints (2000 and 2002), and his own court-ordered agreement to stop distributing pirated products, Boldin claimed that he wasn't aware of the illegality of his operation. Boldin claimed that products were "diligently" inspected prior to shipment and seemed to be transferring aspersion onto the vendors.

According to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development, numerous claims have been filed by former employees who did not receive their last paycheck, who received paychecks later returned as NSF, or who were denied payout of earned paid time off upon resignation. In the March 28 Business Journal article, Boldin reports that his business loans have been revoked by his banks, and that he has appealed to the financial institutions to release payroll expenses.

Boldin was also named as founder and CEO of Voting Technologies International and Newton Health. Newton Health's widely-promoted self-funded group insurance product drew scrutiny from Milwaukee business leaders, as the company was not licensed by the State of Wisconsin to sell insurance, and appeared to offer no insurance protection. Despite maintaining a web presence, these companies are believed to have ceased operations. Atomic Park employees covered under the Newton Health product were notified on March 16, 2007 that their benefits were terminated effective immediately and that any pending claims would be denied and unpaid. Premiums paid into the self-funded plan, which would normally carry over from year to year, were not refunded to employees upon the plan's termination.

According to the March 28 Journal Sentinel article, Boldin was also served a cease and desist order by the Alzheimers Association of Chicago, whose Tax Identification Number appeared on Boldin's non-profit site (Wellness Care of Wisconsin) launched in February. The Wellness Care of Wisconsin site solicited public donations to help the uninsured, despite not being a licensed charity in the State of Wisconsin. The Alzheimers Association denied any affiliation with Boldin or Wellness Care of Wisconsin and announced plans to file a complaint with the Wisconsin Attorney General.

[edit] References

  1. Gallagher, Kathleen. "Zero to $40 million: AtomicPark tries to create utopia for software shopping with pricing, selection, customer service", Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, 2005-08-05.
  2. Future 50 Winners 2005. Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce. Retrieved on November 9, 2005.
  3. Barnes, Cecily. "Software e-tailer alerts customers to breach", CNET News.com, 2001-03-20.
  4. Top 500 Guide. InternetRetailer.com. Retrieved on September 28, 2006.
  5. New plan promises cheaper insurance. Retrieved on October 20, 2006.
  6. A new model?. Retrieved on November 10, 2006.
  7. Local entrepeneur sued. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.
  8. Entrepeneur sued by Microsoft says he was unaware of alleged infractions. Retrieved on March 28, 2007.