SpareFoot

Self-storage database makes plans to expand its Austin headquarters

After two weeks in an Austin business incubator program, SpareFoot co-founders Chuck Gordon and Mario Feghali already knew they had found the home for their new company.

Since its launch in late 2008, SpareFoot has grown to become the world's largest online self-storage marketplace. Originally intended to help homeowners rent out their unused space for storage, SpareFoot evolved in 2009 after storage companies started signing up for the site.

"We called [the storage businesses] and realized they were just desperate for new customers and would lose their sites unless they got occupancy up," Gordon said. "We realized that maybe storage sites are the real opportunity here."

Connecting people to vacant storage sites has helped SpareFoot double its revenue annually, he said, enabling the company to hire 125 people in downtown Austin.

"By this summer we hope to have 55 people in the call center, which is up from 10 at the beginning of the year," he said.

New workers will enter a unique office atmosphere. SpareFoot recently unveiled its 2014 company calendar in which employees recreate scenes from famous movies.

"We got advice from people with great culture in their company and cobbled together some ideas to create this weird, interesting place that SpareFoot is," Gordon said. "Everyone loves to come to work."

SpareFoot, 720 Brazos St., Ste. 200, 512-705-6208, www.sparefoot.com