Ticket resale marketplace StubHub is significantly increasing the size of its East Coast call center and will also boost the number of employees there.
Located in East Granby, CT, the Gateway Boulevard call center will be expanded from 9,000 square feet to 24,000 square feet, and StubHub also intends to hire at least 25 more employees to staff it. Currently, the facility has about 140 employees, following the recent hiring of 30.
“This expansion deepens our roots in Connecticut while providing additional job opportunities for local residents,” StubHub President Chris Tsakalakis said in a statement. Tsakalakis and other company executives are scheduled to hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the facility this afternoon, October 19. “We look forward to adding quality individuals to our team while continuing to provide the best in class customer service to fans.”
StubHub is the nation’s most-trafficked ticket resale exchange, according to TicketNews’ exclusive industry rankings. Its expansion marks the second major exchange to significantly boost its profile in Connecticut.
This summer, competing third-party ticket exchange TicketNetwork received millions of dollars’ worth of loans and incentives from the state as part of Gov. Dan Malloy’s “First Five” job-creation initiative. To receive the funds, South Windsor-based TicketNetwork agreed to hire 200 new employees over the next two years; the company moved from Vernon, CT, to a massive South Windsor facility over the summer to accommodate its growth.
StubHub is headquartered in San Francisco, but it has had an office in Connecticut since 2005. The greater Hartford area sits between New York City and Boston, two of the company’s largest markets.
“The idea of expanding this facility was to pave the way for us to eventually have up to 300 employees at the center,” StubHub spokesperson Glenn Lehrman told the Hartford Business Journal, adding that the expansion of the East Granby office is not related to TicketNetwork’s moves. “The way we view our company is through customer service. The lifeblood of that service is the office in Connecticut.”
State officials also praised StubHub’s decision.
“StubHub has a reputation of ensuring that the consumer has a great experience when selling or purchasing event tickets. Their reputation is built on the outstanding employees at the East Granby facility,” said State Rep. Elaine O’Brien, who represents East Granby and other adjacent towns, said in a statement.
TicketNetwork is the parent company of TicketNews.
