SEATTLE, Dec. 11, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Today, Porch.com (http://porch.com), CEO Matt Ehrlichman was named the first ever USA TODAY Entrepreneur of the Year for 2014.
USA TODAY launched its inaugural Entrepreneur of the Year Award as a way to acknowledge those who are bringing the U.S. economy out of recession, in particular small businesses and entrepreneurs. Key criteria of the award included exhibiting significant growth this year and solving a consumer problem.
Ehrlichman won the honor after a team of USA TODAY editors sorted through 10 finalists.
Launched in September 2013, Porch is the home network, free for homeowners and professionals. With over 2.8 million professionals and over 120 million projects, Porch enables homeowners to make smart home improvement decisions by giving them the services they need to find the right professionals, get inspiration, and manage their home.
"I am very humbled by this honor," said Matt Ehrlichman, chief executive officer of Porch. "The last year has been a very special time for Porch and 100 percent of the credit goes to our amazing team and our partners. I consider this acknowledgment a true credit to the entire company as I am truly blessed to work alongside such an exceptional group of individuals on this once-in-a-lifetime ride."
Under Matt Ehrlichman's leadership Porch experienced remarkable product and customer growth in 2014.
Strategic Partnership with Lowe's: In January 2014 Porch announced a strategic partnership with Lowe's that would see the home improvement retailer use Porch as their in-store resource to help homeowners find the right home improvement professionals for nearly any project outside of Lowe's current installation services. By May Porch was available in every Lowe's store in the nation.
Porch Home Report and Partnership with realtor.com: In March 2014 Porch entered the real estate space through the release of the groundbreaking Porch Home Report and a partnership with realtor.com, the official site of the National Association of REALTORS® (NAR). The Porch Home Report includes home improvement project history, the cost and details of remodels and projects, background information for professionals that have previously worked on the home and neighborhood, and vital neighborhood statistics, such as how long neighbors have lived in their homes and the size, age, and cost of comparable neighborhood homes for all for-sale homes in the United States.
Development of the Home Network: Throughout 2014 Porch continued to extend the breadth of the home network growing from 1.5 million professionals to over 2.8 million with project insights growing from 90 million to over 120 million.
Launch of Porch App & Porch Booking Beta: In December 2014 Porch entered the mobile space with the national release of the Porch App (http://porch.com/app), a first of its kind app available for iOS 8 that gives homeowners seamless and innovative ways to connect with professionals their neighbors have used and loved.
In addition, Porch released the Porch Booking Beta in Seattle, which allows homeowners to book, schedule, and pay for projects done by Porch Certified Professionals from within the Porch App. Homeowners can choose from a growing list of maintenance services including carpet cleaners, handyman, plumbers, landscapers, and painters at pre-negotiated hourly rates.
Employee Growth from 30 to 300: Over the course of the last year Porch has grown from 30 employees to over 300, with everyone based in their Seattle, WA headquarters.
About Porch
Porch is the home network, free for homeowners and professionals. With over 2.8 million professionals and over 120 million projects, Porch enables homeowners to make smart home improvement decisions by giving them the services they need to find the right professionals, get inspiration, and manage their home. For more information about Porch visit http://porch.com.
Matt Ehrlichman Biography
Matt is the founder and Chief Executive Officer for Porch. Prior, Matt was Chief strategy Officer at Active Network responsible for 85% of the P&L. Matt joined Active in 2007 and helped grow its revenues from $65 million in 2006 to $420 million and a 2011 initial public offering. Before joining Active, Matt was co-founder and Chief Executive Officer at Thriva, which was acquired by the Active Network in March 2007 for $60 million. Matt built Thriva out of his dorm room at Stanford University where he received his Bachelor of Science degree in entrepreneurial engineering and Master of Science degree in management science and engineering.
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