STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Longtime Staten Island businessman Mel Kling Jr. and his son, Mel Kling III, were deep in conversation one night as the younger Kling's phone kept interrupting their trains of thought.

"Growing more and more impatient listening to its litany of alert noises indicating incoming text messages and calls, I finally asked him to shut it off for a few minutes," recalled the elder Kling, a Prince's Bay resident.

But as the father and son continued their conversation, dad's phone started lighting up too.

"We both laughed. My son asked, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could just make certain people's calls and texts go directly to a mailbox that we can check when we want?'" said Kling Jr.

From that moment on, the father and son team had a mission to bring this product to the marketplace. The result is CallingVault, which provides additional lines for smart phones. The purpose of the business is to protect personal cell phone numbers, said Kling Jr.

"CallingVault is all about privacy, control and reliability," said Kling Jr. "We have created a telecommunications business that respects and protects the privacy of conversations."

Because CallingVault doesn't operate from another company's platform, Kling says it has the advantage of a quicker response time. "Our customers do not have to worry that their information is getting lost in someone else's network," he said.

CallingVault also allows cell phone users to send calls directly to voicemail. "You can selectively forward them [calls] to your phone or block nuisance calls entirely," said Kling Jr. "[You can] change your settings to 'do not disturb,' and every call to your CallingVault number goes directly to voicemail. Any texts sent to your CallingVault number never appears on your cell phone and are protected and accessed only with your secure login," he said.

Based in Manhattan, CallingVault is run by the Klings, along with Annadale resident Frank Tisellano Jr. Their company mission is to make having a private second cell phone line the "new norm."

"We are currently working to capture a domestic audience within the 48 contiguous United States by actively advertising in newspapers, magazines and social media," he said, noting the company plans to advertise on blogs, podcasts, Google and other search engines.

The company principals' five-year plan includes interconnecting its platform globally, "so as to provide a more effective and affordable way to communicate worldwide."

The Kling family is no stranger to business ventures. Kling Real Estate Ltd. is a 40-year-old Grant City-based brokerage. "We have built many custom homes and commercial buildings. We were one of the early pioneers in developing the South Shore of Staten Island," said Kling Jr. He also owned and operated the former Coach's Sports Cafe in Dongan Hills.

---

Follow @siadvance on Twitter

