Local Boy and Girl Make Good (Virtually) in Israel By Sara K. Eisen Running a profitable web business from their Beit Shemesh, Israel home, which often requires being on U.S. time while the neighbors are asleep, seems almost effortless for former Baltimoreans Richard and Joyce Levitas. They are terminally good natured, natural entrepreneurs, and have been working side by side since before they were married. Richard jokes that when he popped the question, Joyce responded, “Yes, as long as I receive 51% of the company.” After 17 years of working together in various technology-based startups, they have recently launched two new innovative technology-based products for schools and non-profit organizations. The challenge of telecommuting to another hemisphere is nothing after having to master Hebrew. Richard and Joyce, along with their 4 children, now aged 8 to 15, moved to Israel in July 2000. After selling their Practice Management Software business in 1996, they made the decision to give Aliyah a try, and started to plan. Settling into their new Beit Shemesh home in the summer of 2000 - in a young community among many other American olim (including several families from Baltimore) - the family’s main points of focus were their children’s absorption, finding jobs, and learning the language. And while the children did fine - - they each soon had enough friends to make the Levitas yard and basketball "court" an extremely busy place, Richard was not as successful in finding a job in the technology sector. Richard tells about his aliyah in 2000, “A few months after moving, the global technology market crashed - which did not help my job prospects.” But, Joyce notes, “As an addicted distance runner, Richard does not quit easily.” (Indeed, Richard, along with a few other running enthusiasts he’s befriended since his aliyah, has been known to run the 40 kilometers from Beit Shemesh to Jerusalem during the brutal Israeli summer - just for the heck of it.) Doing the math, they determined how much time they could continue to burn their savings in order to build a business that could support the family. Next they brainstormed on various business concepts. Richard recounts, “After two years of refining our business model and a few false starts, we finally hit upon a business idea that uses the Internet and is supporting the family.” This, from their living room, which saves on wardrobe expenses and travel time, and is great for the kids, who, typically of Israel, have fairly flexible school hours at different points throughout the year. The Levitas team developed two technology-based business products - one an e-Newsletter service, the other, a do-it- yourself dynamic website tool for schools and non-profit organizations to quickly create and maintain their own websites. While Joyce, a computer programmer like her husband, handles the software development side of the business, Richard focuses on the marketing. He started by calling many former U.S. contacts to discuss the benefits of using technology for sending newsletters. Today, as the Internet is steadily replacing paper-based communications, their company, PBCS, designs, sets and delivers e-Newsletters for The Associated Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore, Baltimore Jewish Council, Baltimore Hebrew University, Center for Jewish Education, Yeshivat Rambam and Baltimore Zionist District. They have also expanded beyond Baltimore to include federations and schools in New York, New Jersey and Washington D.C. Rina Goloskov, Marketing Account Executive of The Associated, one of PBCS’s first customers, is enthusiastic about the company: “PBCS’s e-Newsletter service has revolutionized the way our organization communicates with our community. Joyce’s creativity, technological expertise and flexibility have enabled us to create an e-newsletter that is informative, interactive and aesthetically appealing. The sophisticated e-mail database and tracking system offers us the ability to gauge which topics are of greatest interest to our audience.” As part of their growth strategy in the school market, PBCS recently launched atSchools.com, a website creation tool whereby a school or daycamp can create a customized, professional looking website within hours without any understanding of web publishing technology or programming language. With the tagline, "Presto! You’re a Webmaster," the tool allows a school to easily keep their website fresh and up-to-date at will, and allows individual teachers to post what is happening in their classrooms. Instead of children losing notes in packed schoolbags, Joyce and Richard, who understand firsthand how important communication with teachers and administration is, have made it possible for parents to be steadily involved in their kids’ school experience from their work or home PC. The Levitases hope that non-profit organizations and schools that have not been able to afford the high cost of a website will purchase their low-cost, easy to use “do-it-yourself” website creation tool. The future may hold a similar tool for family or small business use: the sky is the limit for this creative pair. Richard reflects, “We are fortunate that we have been able to use our skills and former U.S. contacts to build a business that now provides jobs in Israel. This is a win/win enterprise.” Spoken like Baltimore’s finest.