Seattle-based sales and marketing technology company Marchex Inc. (Nasdaq: MCHX) has named Edwin Miller as the company's new CEO.
Miller officially started on Friday and is joining Marchex from the private equity firm Gemspring Capital, where he was an operating executive. Miller has a variety of CEO experiences on his resume, but says he plans to lead Marchex for the long haul.
"I've been a hired gun many, many times. Public companies, private equity-backed, venture-backed. I want to say about nine months ago, I started looking seriously about going and operating something again as CEO," Miller said. "I don't have any plans yet. Just dig in and compete."
Miller spent close to two years at Westport, Connecticut-based Gemspring. According to his LinkedIn page, he spent about a year as the CEO of the staffing company The Intersect Group before Gemspring. He also worked as CEO of the IT company Astreya and as CEO of Everest Software, a business management software company.
Russell Horowitz and Michael Arends served as co-CEOs at Marchex prior to Miller taking over as CEO. Horowitz will remain as chairman of the board and Arends will serve as vice chairman.
Marchex, founded in 2003, helps clients understand customer activity and intentions. The company says its technology can show what marketing efforts are driving customers to call, and it can automate text message marketing. Its clients include Zillow and Meineke.
In its third quarter earnings report, released in November, Marchex said it generated $13.2 million in revenue, down from $13.7 million over the same period in 2021. According to a regulatory filing, Marchex had 187 full-time employees at the end of 2021.
Miller said he turned down multiple opportunities over the past two years but was impressed my Marchex's team and clients. He also said the company is in the right market at a good time. Miller worked with Horowitz as far back as 1997, he added, and the two have kept in touch.
Miller currently lives in Virginia and doesn't have immediate plans to move but said he will spend lots of time traveling to Marchex's offices. In addition to its Seattle office downtown, Marchex has offices in Wichita, Kansas, and Toronto.
As for future growth, Miller wants Marchex to explore multiple avenues.
"In the near term, lining up the team to figure out how to jump to new verticals I think is a big one," Miller said. "I would like to drive an organic and acquisitive strategy here."
