The story of how Phil Blancett transformed a small computer shop in Lake Tahoe into a major internet service provider managing over 1,000 dedicated servers in San Francisco's premier data centers.
Since founding the company in 1994, Phil Blancett has been the driving force behind every innovation and success. With over 30 years of hands-on experience, Phil doesn't just run a tech company – he personally ensures every client gets exactly what they need to succeed online.
"I've seen every trend, every technology shift, and every challenge that businesses face online," says Phil. "That experience, combined with my trusted team here in Las Vegas, means we can advise and guide our clients better than anybody else in the industry."
Today, Phil leads a skilled team of technology professionals from Las Vegas, working hands-on with clients to deliver cutting-edge solutions while maintaining the personal touch that has defined the company since day one.
Phil Blancett started in a garage, building custom computers for local college students at South Lake Tahoe Community College. Phil didn't just sell computers – he personally delivered them to homes throughout the Reno, Tahoe, and Sacramento areas, teaching customers how to use their new machines.
What began as Phil handing out flyers on campus quickly grew into Black Oak Computers, a full retail store where Phil and his team built and sold custom PCs. Every computer was crafted with care, tailored to each customer's needs, and backed by Phil's personal guarantee of support.
Initially partnering with Tahoe.net to sell dial-up internet, Phil soon launched his own service – OakWeb.com. This evolved into California.net, offering both DSL and dial-up services throughout Northern California through partnerships Phil negotiated with PacWest Telecom.
Phil was a pioneer in the bandwidth game, making the company one of the first to purchase bandwidth directly from Vario.com in the Santa Clara Valley. Under Phil's leadership, growth was explosive – quickly consuming over 100 megabits of bandwidth, a massive amount for that era.
Phil's vision led the expansion to San Francisco's prestigious 200 Paul Avenue colocation facility, where his team built out and managed over 1,000 dedicated servers for customers. This wasn't just growth – it was Phil transforming the company into a major infrastructure provider.
Building on our infrastructure expertise, we created StrongVPN.com – one of the internet's most trusted VPN services. What started as a solution for our own customers' security needs grew into a global phenomenon.
StrongVPN became a leader in online privacy and security, serving customers worldwide with reliable, fast, and secure VPN connections. The service grew organically through word-of-mouth and our commitment to customer privacy, eventually reaching an incredible milestone.
During our peak growth months, we were investing over $10,000 per day in Google AdWords and achieving 150+ new signups daily. This rapid expansion presented unique challenges that pushed us to innovate:
These challenges transformed us into experts in digital marketing, business scaling, and rapid infrastructure deployment – skills that continue to benefit our clients today.
"StrongVPN represented the pinnacle of our technical expertise – taking everything we learned about servers, networks, and security to create a service that protected users worldwide. Its successful exit validated decades of innovation."
Privacy & Security Leader
Created • Scaled • Successfully Exited
Now based in Las Vegas, Phil Blancett continues to lead the company with the same hands-on approach that started in that Lake Tahoe garage. But he's not alone – Phil has assembled a team of trusted technology professionals who share his commitment to customer success.
"I've built a team here in Las Vegas that I trust completely," Phil explains. "These are skilled individuals who are not just capable in technology, but who understand our mission of making sure every customer gets exactly what they need to succeed online."
Together, Phil and his Las Vegas team handle everything from day-to-day operations to strategic consulting, combining three decades of experience with cutting-edge AI and modern web technologies.
From hand-delivering computers to homes in the 1990s to building a global VPN service with 120,000+ subscribers, our journey has been one of continuous innovation and growth in helping businesses succeed through technology.
"From Black Oak Computers to California.net, from 200 Paul to StrongVPN – every venture taught us something new. Today, we combine three decades of experience with cutting-edge AI to deliver the future of web services."
- Phil Blancett, Founder & CEO
From garage startup to data center pioneer to AI-powered innovation. Phil Blancett and his Las Vegas team are ready to write the next chapter with you.