Clemins steers fledgling dot-com

The career submariner who helped lead the Navy through the initial stages of its shipboard systems modernization program is spending a lot of time on airplanes and leading a technology company through its start-up phase.

Archie Clemins retired from the Navy in late 1999 following 33 years of service — including three years commanding the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. The former four-star admiral pulled up stakes and moved with his wife, Marilyn, to Boise, Idaho.

Having established the architecture for the Navy's Information Technology for the 21st Century at Pacific Fleet, Clemins decided to work in technology full time.

In August 2000, he became president and chief executive officer for Seattle start-up company Bot.Net.

"To empower the user, Bot.Net will put trusted, intelligent servants on every networked device," the company's flashy Web site states (www.bot.net). With a laugh, Clemins admitted that the site doesn't tell much about what the company does because it's just coming out with a beta version of its software.

Bot.Net uses robots to perform Internet-based tasks. Clemins said he has the customer relationship management, manufacturing and supply chain management industries targeted as potential users.

Reached before he was about to board an airplane to San Diego, Clemins said he spends a lot of time traveling, trying to reach his 2001 goal of $2 million in revenue for Bot.Net. He visits his two employees in Seattle every other week, and every six weeks, he pays a visit to Krakow, Poland, where his company employs 55 software developers.

"There's no guarantees," Clemins said when asked about working for a technology start-up.