Verite finally has 'real' office

Kimberley Jones doesn't just "virtual" produce online sales tools and advertising campaigns — for several years she and her staff at Sandy-based Verite Inc. worked in a "virtual" office.

A true shoestring operation, entirely self-financed, Jones and her team worked remotely because they had no office space.

This challenge, even added to the typical adversity faced by a new business, wound up as a positive, because in the five years that employees worked "remotely," Verite established a solid foundation of customers and revenue before moving into its offices.

Jones, the company's founder and chief executive officer, was producing marketing and training videos for clients of an Orem-based film studio when she got the idea to take the same products to CD and the Internet. Jones offered to put together a new division of the Orem company aimed at online products, but the company declined, feeling such ventures were too far in the future to be profitable.

So Jones left her job to start Verite, acting not only as CEO but also as accountant, administrative assistant and human resources officer. She persevered, gradually building her staff and client list as the company's reputation grew and better tools to produce Verite's products became available.

Because of its initial bootstrap operations, a spirit of camaraderie exists at Verite, with employees enjoying the half-pipe skate ramp on site as well as fitness challenges, conferences and personal interests supported or sponsored by the company.