Fast-growing Frontline Technologies is moving to Malvern, nearly doubling its space. In recent months, the company — which is at the forefront of web-based tools for K-12 education — has also attracted venture capital and expanded its product line.
Currently located in Exton, Frontline is initially leasing 60,000 square feet at Malvern's Endo building, and will take an additional 30,000 square feet in 2017.
“The relocation of our headquarters into the Endo building illustrates just how quickly we are growing,” says co-founder and managing partner Michael Blackstone. “This move will support the current momentum we are experiencing as a result of the expansion of our K-12 product line and the rapid adoption of our products in the K-12 market.”
Blackstone founded the company in 1998 with Roland Thompson. Earlier, the pair founded CF InFlight, which developed Skycam. They launched Frontline with Aesop, a breakthrough product that was the first to employ both phone and Internet for automated K-12 substitute teacher placement and employee absence management. Aesop is now used by more than 4,000 school districts in every state in the U.S. — more than all similar systems combined — as well as educational clients in Canada and Russia.
Other products followed, including VeriTime, a time and attendance management system for school districts, and Jobulator, a desktop and mobile tool that notifies substitutes of new jobs available for them.
With more than 500 new customers in 2013 alone, the company's rapid expansion drew the attention of Insight Venture Partners; they made a significant investment in May.
Since then, Frontline has acquired Aspex Solutions, creator of the popular AppliTrack collection of tools for K-12 recruiting, selection and HR file management. In September, Frontline launched Teachwise, an online marketplace for teachers to buy and sell original teaching materials.
“Frontline's success, we believe, is due to building web-based solutions driven by the needs of the market,” explains company spokesperson Lisa Wolfe. “We seek out and listen to feedback from school districts to inform our new products and improve our current ones.”
At its new headquarters, Frontline anticipates further acquisitions and new product development, including a new focus on direct-to-consumer products.
Source: Lisa Wolfe, L. Wolfe Communications for Frontline
Writer: Elise Vider