In the early autumn of 2019, TCGplayer’s position as one of Central New York’s ascendant startup stories was in flux.
The company announced 15% of its 200-plus workforce would be laid off as it refocused strategies around its online marketplace for non-sports trading cards, such as Magic: The Gathering.
CEO Chedy Hampson regrouped, building a stronger leadership team and focusing specifically on helping local gaming stores grow their own businesses.
The result has been an “incredible” growth streak, as headcount has nearly doubled to 380 people, the company is expanding its innovative downtown Syracuse headquarters (built into a formerly moribund urban mall) and the firm is now aiming its focus on the entire collectibles space. That includes everything from sports cards to comic books to War Hammer figures.
TCGplayer also recently announced it is raising the starting hourly wage at its fulfillment center to $16.
“We believe that we build communities around these product lines,” Hampson said. “It’s not just e-commerce. It’s ‘How do you facilitate the conversations, giving them new ideas around price trends and what they should buy next?”
TCGplayer’s main employee base is in Syracuse, but it also has a growing cluster of employees in Buffalo.
ACV Auctions co-founder and angel investor Jack Greco met Hampson at a networking event four years ago. Greco has since become an investor, board member and adviser.
“Jack helped support us, providing great insight and learning on marketplace design and everything else you can think of,” Hampson said.
Some of the company’s technical leaders are based here too. Former Synacor tech executive Ross Winston was recruited to TCGplayer in 2018, serving since then as its chief technology officer.
“Ross and (John McDonald, also recruited from Synacor, who moved to Syracuse) brought their experience to TCGplayer and helped it transition from a 100-person company that was running OK to a new level of leadership,” Hampson said.
TCGplayer has about 10 employees in Buffalo, all of whom work remotely, though Hampson said it’s possible a physical office space will be established here in the future. The local team includes senior engineering manager Jay Gerland and DevOps manager Garrett Hodgson (who was recently recruited from a tech position at M&T Bank), along with employees in product and human resources.
Hampson said the company’s at the stage where it is seeking the best available talent regardless of location, but he said the leadership in cluster has a natural gravity. He expects more people from Buffalo to join the TCG team.
“We already have such a great group of people working with us in Buffalo, they’re more likely to tell their peers” about open TCGplayer positions. “I see Buffalo as a growing area for us.”
Speaking of growth, this is an exciting moment for TCG as it prepares to become a more comprehensive partner to the nation’s brick-and-mortar stores well beyond a place to sell their hobby cards. TCG, for instance, plans to introduce a point-of-sale integration this year.
“A few great ideas can start a company,” Hampson said, “but it’s the people we hire who build it.”
