Bradley L. Bartz

Powering the Future Through Solar and Digital Innovation

Bradley Lawrence Bartz, a name now synonymous with a series of impressive feats in solar technology and digital innovation, is a figure worthy of our attention. From his early forays into the Japanese Internet market to his current leadership in solar energy, Bartz has consistently demonstrated an aptitude for innovation and a knack for recognizing potential before others.

Born in 1965, Bartz, a Loyola Marymount University graduate, began his journey in technology in the late '80s. He took an early interest in the then-nascent field of the Internet, particularly in Japan. Recognizing the untapped potential of the web, he founded one of Japan's first commercial Internet companies, Jmail, in 1991. Bartz's venture foresaw the coming boom in digital connectivity, establishing an email and blogging platform that once boasted 900,000 registered users.

Beyond his digital pursuits, Bartz's accomplishments also extend to his philanthropic endeavors. The Telemarketing Visions Institute, a non-profit organization he founded, sought to empower the visually impaired by training them for telemarketing jobs. Bartz's dedication to making a positive impact on society became evident through such efforts.

Yet it was his venture into solar energy that would truly solidify his legacy as a visionary. In 2000, he founded ABC Solar Incorporated, which quickly rose to be one of Los Angeles's leading solar contractors, clocking an impressive $3 million per year in sales and continuing to grow. Bartz leveraged his technical expertise to develop advanced solar technologies and establish the company as a significant player in the sector. Furthermore, Bartz has found time to share his experiences and insights through various publications, including "The Venture Business Manual: Avoid Being Road Kill" and "Japan.co.jp: Hardhat Required". These books offer a rare glimpse into the mind of a man who has consistently stayed ahead of the curve, driving innovation in multiple fields.

Bradley L. Bartz has proven time and time again that he is a force to be reckoned with in the realms of digital innovation and renewable energy. As we continue into a future where these sectors will undoubtedly play crucial roles, Bartz is a figure we can all learn from. His work is a testament to the power of foresight, resilience, and relentless innovation.

From his early days selling ballet dancewear in Japan, Bartz's entrepreneurial spirit was apparent. A knack for spotting trends and filling gaps in the market has made him a successful businessman, but his consistent willingness to embrace the new and the untried sets him apart.

In addition to his business ventures, Bartz's creative endeavors provide further evidence of a restless, innovative mind. He is the author of an extensive list of published works ranging from guides on business strategies to screenplays and travelogues. This diverse portfolio reflects the breadth of his interests and his ability to see connections and possibilities where others might not.

Bartz's work in solar energy, particularly with ABC Solar Incorporated, shows not only his business acumen but also his commitment to sustainable energy. In an era where climate change is a pressing concern, his company has consistently aimed to make solar energy more accessible and more efficient.

Under Bartz's leadership, ABC Solar has grown into a major player in the Los Angeles area. His inventive approaches, such as the development of the First Responder Ember Drone, demonstrate his ability to combine his technical knowledge with real-world application. The drone represents a unique solution to the problem of wildfires, illustrating Bartz's commitment to making a positive impact on the world.

Bradley L. Bartz has consistently shown his ability to adapt and thrive in an ever-changing world, combining his business skills with a deep understanding of technology. Whether it's internet services in Japan or solar power in Los Angeles, Bartz continues to forge ahead, crafting a legacy that blends entrepreneurship, innovation, and societal impact. As we look to the future, Bartz's career offers valuable insights into how resilience, foresight, and a willingness to embrace innovation can drive success.

Bradley L. Bartz

Bradley L. Bartz (born 1965) is an American entrepreneur, inventor, and innovator known for his contributions in the fields of renewable energy, specifically solar energy, and disaster management technologies. Bartz's work, marked by his patent holdings, business ventures, and advocacies, has brought about significant changes in the respective industries.

Early Life and Education

Born in 1965, Bartz earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Marketing from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, California in 1989.

Career

Bartz's career spans over three decades, with diverse ventures ranging from technology and internet projects to renewable energy.

ABC Solar Incorporated

In 2000, Bartz founded ABC Solar Incorporated, serving as its President. ABC Solar, a leading provider of solar energy solutions in California, has been integral in installing residential and commercial solar systems. Bartz successfully grew ABC Solar into one of Los Angeles's leading solar contractors, achieving $1M per year in sales.

Under Bartz's leadership, ABC Solar has not only been a service provider but also an advocate for renewable energy adoption, challenging regulatory barriers and creating innovative solar solutions.

Jmail Incorporated

Bartz's influence extends to the digital world. He incorporated Jmail in Tokyo in 1991, marking the launch of Japan's first commercial internet company. Jmail offered free email and blog services, reaching its peak with 900,000 registered users.

Bartz's leadership saw Jmail providing website design and business modeling services to some of the world's largest companies, including Budweiser, Coca-Cola, Polaroid, Citibank, Toyota, Honda, Chrysler, Turner Broadcasting, Bloomberg Business News, and more.

His successful management of Jmail led to the company raising $10 million between 1995 and 1999. Bartz eventually sold the company in 2000, only to repurchase the domain assets in 2004.

Telemarketing Visions Institute, Inc.

Prior to his ventures in solar energy and digital space, Bartz founded Telemarketing Visions Institute, Inc., a non-profit corporation, in Los Angeles between 1986 and 1989. The organization trained the visually impaired for telemarketing jobs, developing curriculum, writing successful grant proposals, and securing vendorship from the Department of Rehabilitation.

Patents and Innovations

Bartz holds several patents, including US 2021/0269151 A1, for a system known as the First Responder Ember Drone (FRED). This invention uses drones equipped with fire-retardant netting to intercept wildfire embers, a significant advancement in combating wildfires.

Public Speaking and Advocacy

Bartz has been a prolific public speaker, having delivered over 20 high-technology speeches across Japan and in the United States, sharing his insights on internet technology and renewable energy.

Personal Life

Bartz is a sailing enthusiast, enjoys writing computer code, and is passionate about new product development. He is married and has children.

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Bradley L. Bartz - Press Mentions

Peninsula News - February 2, 2006

"Solar Powered Success" by Chris Boyd: This article might be discussing the success of a solar energy project led by ABC Solar on Dr. David Berman's home. The house is energy-efficient, which could make it a model for future 21st-century dwellings.

Wall Street Journal - November 16, 1996

This article recognizes Bartz's early ventures in Japan, specifically citing him as the founder of one of the first electronic-bulletin-board services to feature advertising in Japan. It lauds Bartz for his foresight in anticipating a Japanese Internet boom.

The Japan Times - December 21, 1997

The clipping highlights Bartz's affordable online service offering through IAC, featuring email services and internet access. It mentions a unique email address offer for subscribers - "you@japan.co.jp."

Asahi Evening News - July 6, 1998

The article mentions a service that allows users to create unique email addresses by combining their names with memorable domain suffixes like "@hollywood.co.jp" and "@yokozuna.co.jp."

The Daily Yomiuri - February 3, 1998

Bartz discusses IAC's focus on a new Web-based email service for Japan, called Jmail, similar to the popular Hotmail.

The Forum For Corporate Communications - January 1998

FCC Communicator: The piece previews Bartz's speech titled "How to Survive a Press Thrashing," discussing an unfavorable Business Week article about him. The article notes Bartz's casual and forthright speaking style.

Business Week Magazine - April 3, 1995

This article mentions Bartz's innovative business model, which allows users to use an online bulletin board and email service for free, funded by advertising.

ACCJ Journal Magazine - June 1993

The article discusses METABOOK, an advanced search and retrieval system that Bartz describes as a niche market advertising vehicle that gives advertisers more value for their money.

Business Week Magazine - September 1, 1997

The article recounts how Bartz crafted deals with about 20 information providers to put English language news and information about Japan on an online bulletin board. It also mentions how Bartz persuaded major businesses to advertise online, citing Coca-Cola Japan as an example.

By Bradley L. Bartz

In 1989, a young Bradley Bartz found himself in Japan, a fresh college graduate stepping onto the stage just as the curtains were closing on Japan's soaring economic bubble. Despite the turbulent economic climate, Bartz managed to position himself at the crest of a rising wave - the burgeoning internet era.

In "JAPAN.co.jp - Hardhat Required," Bartz recounts his thrilling expedition through the uncharted waters of information technology in Japan. He shares the riveting tale of riding the internet wave and emerging as a celebrated figure amidst Tokyo's newly minted internet enthusiasts before being swallowed by the tumultuous aftermath of the wave.

Bartz's narrative serves as a previously unexplored exposition into Japan's business history. It is a testament to his resilience and adaptability in the face of relentless change.

"JAPAN.co.jp grants an intimate look into the founding of numerous businesses in a foreign land, where an American post-grad is alternately acclaimed as a brilliant, resourceful entrepreneur, or berated as an insolent outsider who flouts the rules," Bartz explains.

With a dynamic business team, Bartz amassed over $10 million from a hedge fund for various ventures ranging from an Internet Service Provider to a web design boutique, a magazine publisher, a technology/science newswire, and a free e-mail service offering an array of unique Japanese domain names.

The book is peppered with vibrant portrayals of foreign investors, Japanese bureaucrats, loyal and disloyal business partners, and industry competitors. As a unique narrative twist, Bartz adopts a historical lens to recreate scenes from the deck of Commodore Matthew Perry's iconic Black Ships.

Bartz asserts that his early triumphs are set against the backdrop of the Japanese cultural enigma that restricts market access to foreigners. "The insights gleaned and shared in Japan.co.jp are indispensable to anyone seeking to comprehend the intricate mechanics of Japan's economy and industries."

"JAPAN.co.jp – Hardhat Required" can be found on https://startup.japan.co.jp.

Contact Bradley Bartz at Brad@Bartz.com or 1-310-373-3169 (United States), +81-3-4578-9370 (Japan).

THE JAPAN YEARS Go West They Said
Japan Press Network (JPN)	Japan.co.jp
Bradley Lawrence Bartz 1965 Born as 4th kid 1972 First business success rewarded with pony 1977 Sold more candy than Baseball Field snack shack and at better profit 1979 First Job. Selling Radio Advertising over telephone. (tall one in the back - his voice was taller) Jolley, Frank: KNAC, 1970-71 and 1972-74; KHJ; KKDJ, 1971-72; KROQ; KYMS, 1972. Frank owns and operates an independent film company that produces movies for tv and theatrically released films. He owns and operate kkdj.net and rockhouse.mobi online radio stations 24/7 and is "the life of Riley" in Citrus Heights, California. Over the years, Frank was Mentor Chairman of the Producers Guild of America. 1980 First company. B&B Gardening with brother Mike (he could drive) 1986 Danced with Princess Leia (Carrie Fischer) on the Queen Mary, Long Beach 1986 First corporation. Telemarketing Visions Institute, Inc. A Non-for-profit corporation for teaching the blind how to sell on the telephone and get jobs. 1986 First University case study of a Brad Bartz business by senior class of Dr. Fred Keisner 1986 Got accepted to Loyola Marymount University day before classes started by the Dean of Admissions 1989 Graduated Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles 1989 Arrived in Japan, met wife on plane 1990 Launched first Japanese Interent Company 1990 Launched IAC-Online BBS 1990 Pardoned by Japanese Emperor Akihito November 1990 new Emperor Akihtio pardoned 880,000 citizens and me from small offenses. Mine was drink driving ticket that I was actively contesting. 1990 1991 Japan Press Network starts uploading press releases to Bloomberg Business News Still Publishing in 2023! 1992 Married Tomoko (30 years now!) 1992 Bradley Jr. born with bi-lateral cleft palette. Metamorph search engine used with 1000 pages of medical text about cleft-palletes (mitsu-kuchi) provided by friend and data vendtor. 1992 Sold Coca-Cola the 1st ad online - on the planet! 1992 Second Univeristy case study of a Brad Bartz business with Dr. Willam Bolton at Keio Univerity, Yokohama, Japan 1993 Electornic book on Floppy disk with The Japan Times with an embedded natural language search engine and 1000 pages of JT news. 1993 Traded ad space to Budweiser on BBS with ANSI-SYS "BUDNET" campaign 1994 FIRST advertisement on a computer with a 5MB website installed on 300,000 IBM Japan Apitva Computers. Let's Internet! 1995 Marie born. She just graduated from UC Berkeley and got hired to run a department! 1995 Joint Venture with NTT PC Communications 1995 Raised 327 million yen from Tiedemann Group in New York, USA by fund manager Campbell Gunn 1995 Scooterboy.com - First Internet Comic Book 1996 Bought Tokyo Journal Magazine 1996 Wall Street Journal and Asian Wall Street Journal front page 1996 August - japan.co.jp and 100+ .co.jp domain name regisistered 1996 September - Blacklisted by Japanese Goverment 1996 300 million in 1st year sales post funding 1997 Blacklist by Japanese government takes heavy toll 1997 BusinessWeek slaughter hammers that nail down Page 2 Page 3 1998 5 people left from 65 staff. 1998 Launch free email at Jmail.co.jp and the 100 .co.jp domain names 1998 How to Survive a Press Thrashing speech at the Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) Epic speech. BusinessWeek Japan editor stood up and apologized. Tanya Clark left in tears (she wrote the hit piece. Who paid her?). 1998 1999 Grow to 250,000 users by end of 1999 1999 Sell control and pay all debts 2000 Denied by blacklist again for conversion of .co.jp collection to new .jp 2000 February, left japan with shirt on my back, withOUT my company and no debt. Read Japan.co.jp: Hardhat Requried to learn about starting the first commercial internet company in Japan. 2000 Fired by new owners of Jmail and screwed out of stock sale to Hans Tiedemann for $400,000 and slammed out of any ownship stake. Shameful behavior on his part. Shaved my head in ceremony of retiring sumo legend. 2000 Founded ABCsolar.com and swore never to go to Japan again. 2000 Ran for School Board in the Palos Verdes Unitifed School District, California. Lost, but got 2,222 votes and ide as implemented. Platform for Disabled Student Rights 2001 April 26th - Launched SolarDaily.com a newspaper for the solar industry with the Space Media Network of Sydney, Australia See More at www.SolarDaily.com 2002 July 19th - Invented the Solar Hot Tub kit at www.SolarHotTub.com 2003 Solar-Powered Success in the local press 2003 Jetro Invites Brad Bartz to speak in Los Angeles at a 600 audience event. Met chief economist to Prime Minister Koizumi during and after speech. He invited me to visit if in town. KEY MOMENT 2004 Visited Japan to buy back Japan.co.jp and assets. Told story to Prime Minister Koizumi's chief econmist about the blacklist. He called me a liar I gave him three cards: Senior Editor at Nihon Keizai Shimbun Dr. Maruyama leader JPNIC, the domain name registrar in Japan, and the leader of the blacklist. Dr. Jun Murai, Internet "guru" and another leader of the blacklist The economist called me the next day and apologized. 2004 Bought back Japan.co.jp and all .co.jp domains assets. History of Japan.co.jp 2004 Ran for School Board again. Established advocate status and moved the needle. (lost again.) 2005 2006 The Solar Chicken! www.SolarChicken.com 2007 2008 2009 Visited Japan with Family. Great Photos See More Check the temperature of the solar market. Not yet. 2010 Install larest Solar Grid Tie system in the City of Los Angeles at the LA Flower Mart as of 2010. See More 2010 Sold first master-matered Apartment Building in Los Angeles a $120,000 solar grid tie system City of LA Building staff took a year to issue a permit. Epic battle. Generated the "Cheatham Solar Paradox" where cities ask for unobtainable data 2010 Solar Business Keeps Palos Verdes Green 2011 March 11 The Japanese earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdown changed the world and me. 2012 January Brought Tetsruo Nishida to Los Angeles to train for solar busienss. Opening Japan Again Pictures 2012 April started ABC Solar Japan tour. Wrote The Solar Bond, a business plan for the Japanese Feed In Tarrif. I put a suit on. 2012 June Moved to a Yurt on the Pacific Ocean coast of Chiba, Japan. 2014 Happy Times with Family Visit See More 2014 Art Advocacy. Oh Man. 2015 2016 2017 Off Grid Speech in China. Your Choice. This or That. < -- sep 7, 1997 See Pigs fly http://bartz.com/jmail/new/ http://bartz.com/jmail/data/ July 2000 2018 2019 30 Years engaged with Japan. 2020 Hindsight says I should have gone to Korea.
Brad Bartz v JPRS/JPNIC Epic. Tragic. Brad Bartz led the Internet venture business scene from 1990 in Tokyo. In 1995 he raised 4 million dollars from a New York Hedge Fund to expand its Joint Venture With Nippon Telephone and Telegraph (NTT). In August 1996 Bartz registerd 105 .co.jp domain names exploiting the loophole of one company can only have one domain name by making 105 Delaware Corporations. Japan.co.jp, JPN.co.jp, sushi.co.jp and many more. Then Brad Bartz and his company were blacklisted by the Japanese governement. A blacklist that is still in place and having continued negative impact. Read more at www.JPRS.com Startup in the Land of the Rising Sun by Bradley L. Bartz I know the exact moment I lost my Japanese companies. A singular point in time. Twice. You decide. Is being blacklisted by the Japanese government for owning Japan.co.jp bad? Or is JP Power just too unbelievable? Did you know that I competed with JP Power in the 1990s? Did they hold a grudge that led to this failed solar transaction in 2013? Japan.co.jp: Hardhat Required by Bradley L. Bartz The fact that you are reading this at Japan.co.jp is the base truth for this story. I may own Japan.co.jp and get to post anything I want on the 100+ .co.jp domain names. That is true. But, I can not sell these domains. Google and other network advertisers pulled all ads with the blacklist years ago. Again, you decide. Which is worse. A blacklist or JP Power leaving 1.5 million dollars of solar panels at the Port of Yokohama. Left them for ABC SOlar to somehow cleanup. The court gives no penalty to JP Power for abaondoning the solar panels. Instead, ABC Solar is penalized for not cleaning up correctly. Sheeeeeeesh! The Venture Business Manual: Avoid Being Road Kill by Bradley Bartz - Coming Soon. This is a great book and I highly recommend for any businessperson. Japan taught me a lot about defense as a good policy for business anywhere. Learn real world key lessons for starting, running AND keeping your business. A series of business forms are presented for you to fill out. This is a working book. The Venture Business Manual also has Non-Disclosure agreements and other key documents for reference and use Email Brad@Bartz.com Japan.co.jp: Hardhat Required by Bradley L. Bartz Startup in the Land of the Rising Sun by Bradley L. Bartz NEW!!! The Venture Business Manual: Avoid Being Road Kill by Bradley Bartz