Angie’s List expects continued ‘impressive growth’ from its new downtown view
In March 2018, Angie’s List signed their lease for their new office complex in downtown Indy. After preparing the space with attractive amenities and recruiting top talent, the new headquarters for Angie’s List has opened. I sat down with Brandon Ridenour, chief product officer of ANGI Homeservices Inc., to learn more about their product lines and what this Indy campus means for the future of the company.
Brandon Ridenour uses IU-learned skills in managing product strategy
Brandon gained his technical skills through the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University, completing a degree in computer information systems and training in C++ programming and database design. While working in the tech sector, he sensed the shift in the programming world toward more web-based services, powered by languages like Java, and moved into startups in the consumer internet space. He found success and filled management roles with increasing responsibilities at various companies, all of which led him to handling product strategy as chief product officer at Denver-based HomeAdvisor.
Starting in November 2011, Brandon has been responsible for managing web and mobile product strategy, product design and development and technology operations, as well as the operations of HomeAdvisor’s North American subsidiaries, mHelpDesk and CraftJack. Since 2013, the company experienced double-digit percentage growth year-over-year, creating the need to seek new opportunities to bring other companies within their fold. In September 2017, when HomeAdvisor and Indy-based Angie’s List merged and became ANGI Homeservices, Brandon retained his current role but now began overseeing two distinct product lines that continued to demonstrate impressive growth.
With more than 500 project types and 20,000 ZIP codes, it’s easy for the home services market to become heavily fragmented. HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List seeks to solve for this “geo-fragmentation.” HomeAdvisor’s platform brings together homeowners and service providers to conduct transactions. Users can go through the platform, describe the type of project they want completed, and HomeAdvisor matches users to a set of professionals. “It’s a platform that seeks to take the friction out of this process,” said Brandon. “We’ve seen hyper-growth with HomeAdvisor since 2013.”
Angie’s List also helps solve the problem of how to find trusted home service providers. The platform offers a directory of providers, and users can peruse the directory. Most of the providers are certified and background checked, screened and reviewed by other homeowners. Those screening and rating processes are where Brandon sees the future of Angie’s List.
Angie’s List’s future is integral to overall company success
While HomeAdvisor and Angie’s List will continue as two separate product lines, their merged capabilities will provide services that will cover more than 20 million homeowners who can comb through more than 200,000 service professionals to find the right contractor. “That’s the magic of bringing two platforms together: we can tap into liquidity on both sides of the marketplace to help people find solutions they need,” said Brandon.
Brandon will also keep managing several hundred employees between HomeAdvisor, Angie’s List and several smaller subsidiaries. To handle the myriad needs that arise from such large teams, Brandon turns to his employees, who he believes represent some of the top talent in tech. “You simply have to have great people,” he said. “When you have that large of an organization, you need to have a great team under you, who then has a great team under them. You’re not only building the best internal talent but also recruiting people who make up these teams.”
As part of the larger talent recruitment and development efforts, ANGI Homeservices has opened a new headquarters for Angie’s List’s operations, occupying four floors of the building located at 130 E. Washington Street. The space includes amenities like a fitness center with shower and lockers, nearby restaurants and retail, a rooftop patio and a game room and café on the ground floor.
Brandon believes this new headquarters will be integral to the company’s overall success moving forward. “It will provide the collaborative workspace that will be phenomenal for encouraging the work we’re doing,” he said. “Our people are energized and excited about accomplishing innovative work and unleashing that into features and functionalities that make difference in people’s lives. Angie’s List will be one of the most exciting places to work in Indy, where we’ll be doing our work at a very fast pace.”
Discover more about ANGI Homeservices/Angie’s List in the Indiana tech ecosystem.
