UT Graduates Build Largest Privately Held Ecommerce Company in Central Texas; Local Focus and a Passion for College Sports Drive Global Growth at TicketCity

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--TicketCity, a source for tickets to more than 75,000 sports, concerts, and theatre events around the world, is now the largest privately held ecommerce company in central Texas. Ranked among companies including Planview, BancVue and T3 in Austin Business Journal’s ranking of the top 25 Austin-based private companies, TicketCity was originally founded by student entrepreneur Randy Cohen, now CEO of the company, and a small group of University of Texas graduates in UT’s Dobie Mall more than two decades ago. Among this small group were Zach Anderson, now COO at TicketCity, and Clark Kothlow, the company’s CFO. Rafael Rivas, TicketCity’s CSO and also a UT grad, joined the team shortly after.

“As a self-funded business, growing around our passion has been key to both our success and longevity”

“Because of our location, the enthusiasm and pride of Longhorn fans became a big part of our business when we first started out,” says Anderson. “We built a company around our love for college sports. Two decades later, that passion is still at the core of what drives us to find new and better ways to serve our clients.”

Beyond the campus, Austin’s exceptionally open and collaborative business climate has had an undeniable impact on TicketCity’s organic growth as an ecommerce business. With 34% year over year growth since 2005 in online revenue, TicketCity continues to invest in local talent and partnerships, including the recent hire of Director of Ecommerce Ashley Boening, who previously held the same position at Austin-local ecommerce leader Living Direct. Partnerships with some of Austin’s leading technology companies including BaazaarVoice and Spredfast enable TicketCity to cater to a customer base that is increasingly social media savvy.

Additionally, TicketCity also sponsors a number of Austin-local professional teams including the Austin Toros and Round Rock Express, which allow the company to be a resource for Austin-local fans outside of college sports. Finally, work with non-profits such as The Capital Area Food Bank, The Seton Fund, Caritas and the Austin Children’s Museum have enabled TicketCity to give back to the Austin community through both donations and staff volunteer time.

Despite the company’s local focus, TicketCity’s online marketplace continues to attract customers on a global scale. Revenue growth over the past decade has been positively impacted by TicketCity’s global customer base, with more than 90% of online sales in 2012 from outside of central Texas. This trend is supported by the broader set of events that TicketCity now caters towards, specifically premier events like the Super Bowl, which saw a 75% year over year increase in revenue for that event alone in February. Other premier events such as The Masters Tournament, The Kentucky Derby, and The US Open will be major growth opportunities for TicketCity in 2013, as fans increasingly seek out the industry-leading service level that TicketCity provides for client event experiences.

“As a self-funded business, growing around our passion has been key to both our success and longevity,” says Anderson. “At the end of the day, we’re here because we love what we do. Our sales team represents a combined 77 years of experience serving our clients, many who have been coming to us for their event experiences since the ‘90s.”

About TicketCity

TicketCity is a trusted source for tickets to more than 75,000 sports, concerts, and theatre events around the world. TicketCity’s established supplier network provides clients with premier access to events including the Masters, Kentucky Derby and US Grand Prix. With on-location staff at all major events, TicketCity’s industry leading customer service is supported by a team of event specialists and a money-back guarantee. TicketCity has partnerships with 13 championship games, 12 FBS schools and 3 professional teams, as well as media and business organizations such as CBSSports.com, IBM, and BazaarVoice.