Red Ventures

Red Ventures

Type	Privately held
Founded	Charlotte, North Carolina (2000)
Headquarters	Fort Mill, South Carolina
Key people	Ric Elias,[1] Chief Executive Officer Dan Feldstein, Chief Marketing Officer Mark Brodsky, Chief Financial Officer Dale Lancaster, Chief Technology Officer
Services	Online marketing services Customer acquisition marketing
Number of employees	2,000+
Website	www.redventures.com

Red Ventures is an American marketing and sales services company incorporated in the State of South Carolina.^[2] The company acquires customers for providers of home insurance, consumer, business, automotive, remodeling, financial and educational services.^[3] These service providers include DirecTV, ADT Security Services, and HughesNet.

Red Ventures’ corporate headquarters are located in Fort Mill, South Carolina,^[4] with offices also in Charlotte, North Carolina's University City.^[5] The company had additional locations in Miramar, Florida and San Antonio, Texas until 2014 when these locations were closed and the jobs were moved to Charlotte.^[6] According to the Charlotte Business Journal, Red Ventures offered to relocate almost 300 employees to the Charlotte area from Miami and San Antonio when the closures occurred.^[7] Red Ventures recently closed the Wilmington office moving the jobs to the Fort Mill, South Carolina headquarters and relocating many employees.

Vertical markets

Red Ventures operates businesses in the following vertical markets:^[3]

• Home & Consumer Services
  • DirectStarTV
  • Security Choice
  • Home Services Corp.
  • Satellite Star Internet
  • Home & Auto Insurance Services
  • Solar Energy
• Business Services
  • Premier Growth Solutions
• Automotive
  • Modern Consumer
• Financial Services
• Education
  • Education Enrollment Services
• International
  • Direct Solutions

Brief history

• 1999: Red F, the precursor to Red Ventures, was founded by Ric Elias and Dan Feldstein, who met while working at Cendant Corporation.^[8]
• 2000: Following the dot-com implosion of mid-2000, Red F, which began as an online discount and loyalty program, evolved into a marketing consulting firm. Clients included BellSouth, LendingTree and DirecTV.^[9]
• 2003: Red Ventures is launched—The idea behind it was to acquire new customers on behalf of service-related brands, beginning with DirecTV.^[10]
• 2004: Red F was ranked twenty-first overall and first among marketing companies on the 2004 Inc. 500.^[11]
• 2005: Red F was sold to its management team so Elias and Feldstein could focus on developing Red Ventures^[8]
• 2005: Security Choice (ADT Dealer) business launches at RV.^[12]
• 2006: DirectStarTV named DIRECTV Dealer of the year.^[13]
• 2007: Red Ventures was ranked fourth overall and first among advertising and marketing companies on the 2007 Inc. 500.^[14]
• 2007: In April, RV relocates to new, larger headquarters in Charlotte, NC ^[15]
• 2008: Red Ventures acquired Modern Consumer, which operates a lead generation and distribution network for the automotive finance market;^[16]
• 2008: Red Ventures was ranked 17th overall and second among advertising and marketing companies on the 2008 Inc. 500.^[17]
• 2009: In December, RV headquarters move from Charlotte, NC, 5 miles south to Indian Land, SC.^[15]
• 2010: Red Ventures breaks ground on new building called RV2 in July ^[18]
• 2010: Investment firm General Atlantic announces investment in Red Ventures, and Managing Director Anton Levy joins the board of directors. ^[19][20][21]
• 2011: March - RV CEO Ric Elias gives TED Talk on his Hudson River plane crash, which received more than 6 million views and attracts national attention.^[22]
• 2011: Red Ventures hits 1,000 employee mark.
• 2011: November - Ric Elias is named Ernst & Young National Entrepreneur of the Year.^[23]
• 2012:RV acquires www.homeinsurance.com and with it a satellite office in Wilmington, NC.^[24]
• 2012: October - Ric Elias launches non-profit for undocumented students, seeding it with 1 million dollars of his own money.^[25]
• 2013: Red Ventures announces a series of new partnerships in the telco space, including Verizon and AT&T.^[26]
• 2013: In April, RV breaks ground on headquarters expansion to building three (RV3).^[27]
• 2013: July - RV signs lease for 35,000 sq ft expansion in northern Charlotte, NC.^[28]
• 2014: RV awarded JDIG job development grant from the state of North Carolina for its North Charlotte growth.^[29]
• 2014: RV hits 2,000 employee mark.^[30]
• 2014: June - 180,000 sq ft headquarters expansion on Indian Land, SC opens for business.^[30]

Corporate culture

Red Ventures’ corporate culture combines a focus on measurement and profitability with an entrepreneurial mindset that promotes new ideas and innovation from its employees.^[8] The organization is flat, with decision-making dispersed among small, autonomous divisions formed around the company's verticals and marketing channels.^[31]

Corporate achievements

Red Ventures and members of its management team have received several awards honoring them for their accomplishments:

• In Inc. Magazine's 2008 "Inc. 500" list of the nation's fastest-growing private companies, Red Ventures ranked 17th overall and second among advertising and marketing companies. (August 2008)^[32]
• In Inc. Magazine’s 2007 “Inc. 500” list of the nation’s fastest-growing private companies, Red Ventures ranked fourth overall and first among advertising and marketing companies. (September 2007)^[14]
• CMO Dan Feldstein was named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Forty under 40” list (June 2007)^[33]
• DirectStarTV President Joe Peterson was named to the Charlotte Business Journal’s “Forty under 40” list (June 2008)^[34]
• Christy Durbin, president of Radio Sales Group and Education Enrollment Services, was a recipient of the Charlotte Business Journal’s Women in Business Achievement Award (July 2008)^[35]
• Red Ventures was ranked third among large companies on the Charlotte Business Journal's 2008 Best Places to Work list.^[36]
• Lorenzo Clark, Sales Director, was named to the Charlotte Business Journal's "40 Under 40" list (March 2010) ^[37]
• Ford Quarterman, Master Sales Agent, was named to Elevate Lifestyle's "Top 30 Under 30 Future Leaders of Charlotte" (2012) ^[38]
• Red Ventures ranked #1 in large companies on the Charlotte Business Journal's 2010 Best Places to Work list (November 2010)^[39]
• Elizabeth Hunter Persson, Senior Vice President, was a recipient of the Charlotte Business Journal’s Women in Business Achievement Award (May 2011)^[40]
• Red Ventures ranked #1 in large companies on the Charlotte Business Journal's 2011 Best Places to Work list (November 2011)^[41]

References

1. Bio of Elias (accessed 2012-03-10).
2. South Carolina Secretary of State: Search Business Filings
3. Verticals, Red Ventures website; retrieved July 30, 2008
4. http://charlotte.twcnews.com/content/video_stories/692828/red-ventures-expands-again-at-sc-headquarters-after-move-from-nc/
5. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2014/04/28/4871551/red-ventures-to-hire-580-workers.html#.U9ejhYBdWWI
6. Contact Us, Red Ventures website; retrieved June 09, 2011
7. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/outside_the_loop/2014/03/red-ventures-to-close-two-u-s-offices-move-200.html?page=all
8. "Staying in Red brings new life", Charlotte Business Journal, November 2, 2007
9. "Elias earns a big Red F for dedication, foresight", Charlotte Business Journal, February 25, 2005
10. Leadership: Ric Elias, Red Ventures Website, retrieved July 30, 2008.
11. “Inc. 500: America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies”, Inc. Magazine, November 1, 2004
12. http://www.bbb.org/charlotte/business-reviews/telemarketing-services/security-choice-in-fort-mill-sc-123826
13. http://www.redventures.com/images/pdf/rv_presskit_jan10.pdf
14. “Inc. 500: America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies”, Inc. Magazine, September 2007
15. https://www.redventures.com/media/red_ventures_to_fill_80_positions_by_april.html
16. “Red Ventures Acquires Lead Generation Firm Modern Consumer”, Direct Magazine, June 23, 2008
17. http://www.redventures.com/images/pdf/rv_presskit_aug08.pdf
18. http://www.wcnc.com/story/local/2014/07/25/11118881/
19. http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/red-ventures-announces-growth-capital-investment-by-general-atlantic-100520839.html
20. "General Atlantic Team - Anton J. Levy". General Atlantic website. Retrieved 4 November 2015.
21. "Press Release". General Atlantic. Retrieved 15 January 2016.
22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_zk2DpgLCs
23. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2011/11/14/elias-named-ernst-youngs.html
24. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2012/04/03/red-ventures-buys-homeinsurancecom.html
25. http://latino.foxnews.com/latino/news/2012/10/17/ceo-offering-full-college-scholarships-for-undocumented-immigrants-partners/
26. http://www.redventures.com/media/NewBrandPartnerships.html
27. http://www.redventures.com/media/Headquarterexpansion.html
28. http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/real_estate/2013/07/red-ventures-signs-lease-with.html
29. https://www.redventures.com/media/RedVenturesContinuesExpansioninMecklenburgCounty.html
30. https://www.redventures.com/media/RV3_Grand_Opening.html
31. "Red Ventures fuses marketing and sales, hits 17th in nation", The Charlotte Observer, August 22, 2008
32. “Inc. 500: America’s Fastest Growing Private Companies”, Inc. Magazine, September 2008
33. ”40 under 40 2007”, Charlotte Business Journal, June 8, 2007
34. ”Forty under 40 2008”, , Charlotte Business Journal, June 6, 2008
35. ”Charlotte women honored for achievement”, Charlotte Business Journal, July 17, 2008
36. ”Companies honored as Best Places to Work”, Charlotte Business Journal, November 5, 2008
37. "Lorenzo Clark, Red Ventures - Charlotte Business Journal", Charlotte Business Journal, March 29, 2010
38. , Elevate Lifestyle Magazine, June 07, 2012
39. "Charlotte's Best Places to Work 2010", Charlotte Business Journal, November 4, 2010
40. "2011 Class of Women in Business Achievement Awards Winners", Charlotte Business Journal, May 09, 2011
41. "Charlotte's Best Places to Work 2011", Charlotte Business Journal, November 10, 2011

Red Ventures is sometimes referred to as RedVentures.