Hudl celebrates nearly 10 years of stunning growth at Topping Out ceremony

People walking by the construction site in Lincoln’s Haymarket on Thursday afternoon might have wondered what was going on. There were several dignitaries on hand in suits and ties. But when dozens of people sporting Hudl t-shirts arrived, there was little doubt. Just a couple of weeks shy of their 10th anniversary, sportstech company Hudl…

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Hudl employees and fans watch the final beam go into place on the new Hudl headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska. Photo credit: Jeremy Dreier.

People walking by the construction site in Lincoln’s Haymarket on Thursday afternoon might have wondered what was going on.

There were several dignitaries on hand in suits and ties. But when dozens of people sporting Hudl t-shirts arrived, there was little doubt.

Just a couple of weeks shy of their 10th anniversary, sportstech company Hudl celebrated by raising the final beam to the top of their new world headquarters. Scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2017, the building has created a new image on the Lincoln skyline by reaching its full height of 105 feet.

Governor Pete Ricketts, Mayor Chris Beutler, and representatives of the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce were among the dignitaries who joined “Hudlies” in watching the orange beam filled with signatures lifted to the top of the structure.

“Energetic developments like this are redefining Lincoln,” Beutler said. “It puts us in front of the nation as a great place to live and work.”

Ricketts encouraged Hudl to continue recruiting people to Nebraska. “Keep doing what you’re doing,” he said.

John Wirtz, Hudl’s Chief Product Officer, talked about the level of pride he feels.

“It’s surreal what the team has created,” Wirtz said. “It’s hard to fully wrap my head around it.”

Wirtz said there are now more than 400 full-time employees at Hudl, across 5 continents and 12 countries.

“But we proudly have our world headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska,” he said. “Our company values come directly from our roots right here.”

Wirtz ticked off a list of current Hudl customers, including:

  • 28 NBA teams, including the defending champion Golden State Warriors;
  • 19 English Premier League soccer teams;
  • 18 Rugby World Cup teams;
  • Most NCAA FBS teams, including their first customer – the University of Nebraska-Lincoln

“We’ve worked with 99% of high school football players who have been recruited by Division I programs,” Wirtz said. “We’re also working with 10,000 (and growing) youth sports teams.”

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Hudl CPO John Wirtz speaking in front of the new Hudl headquarters. Photo credit: Jeremy Dreier.

Wirtz described Hudl’s mission as helping teams and athletes win.

“Our long-term goal is to capture and bring value to every moment in sports,” he said. “From t-ball to the English Premier League.”

Wirtz asked for a show of hands from Hudl staffers that have moved to Nebraska from elsewhere. At least 1/3 of the hands went up.

“We want to expand our impact on Nebraska by bringing a third to a half of our team in from outside the state,” he said.

Wirtz said Hudl makes sure that team members from outside Nebraska have an opportunity to spend a week or two in Lincoln every year. That includes a week before or a week after the annual company retreat in Las Vegas.

“It’s kind of a multi-week birthday party with the topping-out ceremony today, the company retreat and our official 10th anniversary on Cinco de Mayo,” he said.

Wirtz spoke highly of the tech startup scene in Lincoln and across the Silicon Prairie.

“It used to be you could count the number of startups in the Haymarket on one hand, and not even use all your fingers,” he said. “We had to be careful to give the right perception of Lincoln to prospective employees from outside the city. Now we just turn them loose on their own the first night they’re in town.”

With locations around the world, Wirtz was asked how he thinks the Silicon Prairie region is viewed from the outside.

“The momentum continues to build,” he said. “I hear less and less about being in the Midwest. People just want to know how and why it works.”

While Wirtz encouraged continued investment in downtown Lincoln and programs like the Raikes School at UNL, he emphasized the need for close collaboration with Omaha.

“Territoriality between Omaha and Lincoln is ridiculous,” he said. “We’re much stronger together.”

Rod Armstrong is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships for AIM in Lincoln, Nebraska. He is a regular contributor to Silicon Prairie News.

This story is part of the AIM Archive

This story is part of the AIM Institute Archive on Silicon Prairie News. AIM gifted SPN to the Nebraska Journalism Trust in January 2023. Learn more about SPN’s origin »

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