As reported first by TicketNews last week, secondary ticket company RazorGator has replaced CEO Jeff Lapin with former Ticketmaster executive Brendan Ross, effective immediately.
Ross takes over the CEO position at a time when RazorGator seeks to regain its footing in the secondary market following the departures of several key executives over the past couple of years. Lapin himself headed up the company for just under two years, replacing David Lord in 2007.
The circumstances for Lapin’s departure were not disclosed, but the abruptness of his leaving would appear to suggest that he was forced out. RazorGator is the nation’s seventh-largest secondary ticket company, according to TicketNews’s exclusive industry rankings, but considering its name recognition and other positives, such as deals with major sports entities, ownership of TickCo and its ability to raise funding, the company never seemed to be able to crack the top three or four.
In fact, the company had raised more than $17 million in venture capital and debt financing so far this year, which Ross is now expected to spend on expansion and improvements to the company’s systems and marketing. While at Ticketmaster Entertainment, Ross headed up the team that helped to create Ticketmaster’s TicketExchange secondary marketplace.
“We’re very excited to welcome Brendan Ross to the RazorGator Interactive Group family,” Russell Siegelman, board member of RazorGator Interactive Group, said in a prepared statement. As the company raised more money, some of those investors, such as Steamboat Ventures, were able to place members on the RazorGator board, which may have helped seal Lapin’s fate. “Brendan has a proven track record of generating growth in every company he has led and his abilities are perfectly suited to our aggressive expansion efforts. We feel Brendan is uniquely suited to continue the growth of this company.”
At one point Ross also ran ReserveAmerica, described as the world’s largest outdoor recreation reservation company. According to RazorGator, Lapin’s next move will be to oversee operations of his family business.
“I’m very proud of what Razorgator has accomplished and the innovations we brought to the ticketing industry,” Lapin said in a prepared statement. “I’m confident the company will only continue to grow and I wish the entire team my best.”
