Hudl, the Lincoln-based sports video editing company, is now making its presence felt in Omaha and shows no signs of slowing down.
In September, Hudl opened a new location in the Old Market at 1013 Jones St., in the space that used to be the Nomad Lounge. The expansion to Omaha has proved a popular move for both Hudl employees and potential employees. So now, company spokesperson Alli Pane said, the company already has plans to employ more people at the Omaha site.
“It’s been great, we actually have people who work at our Lincoln office but love this new Omaha office so much they come up and spend a day there,” she said.
Hudl has been generating plenty of buzz recently. The company was recently named by Inc. Magazine as Nebraska’s fastest-growing company for a second straight year. Hudl was created by three classmates from UNL’s Jeffrey S. Raikes School of Computer Science and Management and has two Lincoln locations in addition to the new Omaha office.
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Hudl began when Omaha native and Millard North graduate David Graff started working with the Nebraska football team in 2003 to improve their use of video. The company now boasts more than 20 professional teams, including the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, Boston Celtics, and Washington Capitals, as well as more than 80 percent of college football teams, as clients.
The Omaha office has more than 20 employees. Pane said that while the company has hit their hiring goal for the year, they hope to double their hiring next year. She said the company has planned to have 75 to 80 “Hudlies”—Hudl employees—to fill the new Omaha office.
Pane said the company’s hiring goal for 2015 calls for 80 to 90 new members for their product team alone. The product team is made up of designers, developers, and engineers.
Company officials saw the need for the Omaha presence after finding there were potential new hires who didn’t want to make the commute to Lincoln. Pane says the company also recognizes there is a rich talent base in Omaha and great universities to draw from. Employees love the Old Market location because it’s new and flashy, Pane said, and is “wide open.“
“It looks great, we have the brick walls, large wooden posts throughout the space, and have taken out and opened up the ceilings,” Pane said. The company has installed a new Wi-Fi system, meeting rooms, and numerous tech updates throughout the 8,000 square feet of space.
Employees also enjoy having access to all the funky amenities the Old Market is known for, Pane said. The Omaha site hosts software developers, sales team members, designers, and other employees. Pane said company officials are excited that the new space has plenty of room for their plans to continue to grow the company, which bodes well for both the company and city. Omaha, Pane said, should get ready for a major influx of “Hudlies.”