Survey Gizmo responds to online polling growth

BOULDER — After four very profitable years of quizzing the public, the past 12 months have been SurveyGizmo’s turn to face some tough questions.

The company, which creates online surveys and polls, has changed management, changed location and nearly doubled the size of its staff.

Fortunately, SurveyGizmo has had all the right answers, judging by its continued revenue growth and place on the Boulder County Business Report’s Mercury 100 list.

The company reported revenue of $3.34 million in 2010, up 281 percent from the $877,000 it earned in 2008. That’s good enough to place SurveyGizmo, which is registered as Widgix LLC, No.4 on the list of fastest-growing private companies in Boulder and Broomfield counties with annual revenue more than $2 million.

Last year, SurveyGizmo took the top spot on the list of companies making less than $2 million. It earned $1.89 million in 2009.

The company has emerged as a leader in the world of online data collection because it offers a lot of features for a modest price, chief executive and cofounder Christian Vanek said.

“We have a good, evangelistic corps of users,” Vanek said.

SurveyGizmo is on pace to double again and is searching for more employees, Vanek said.

The past year has been a busy one. SurveyGizmo rolled out a new version of its application with enhanced localization, translation and scripting features.

SurveyGizmo also has been offering more services to clients. Initially, clients were responsible for creating polls and surveys, but inevitably some would call SurveyGizmo asking about the best ways of posing questions. The company decided to add staff with expertise in survey and poll construction and now will create more sophisticated surveys for clients.

SurveyGizmo’s growth meant it had to find a larger space, and the company now calls a space at 4888 Pearl East Circle home. Leaving Boulder was considered, but rejected.

SurveyGizmo also has seen a change of leadership. Vanek has taken over the CEO position from Scott McDaniel, a cofounder who stepped down to spend more time with his growing family. McDaniel remains an investor and adviser.

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