CharterUP Expands Tech and Product Presence with New Austin Headquarters and Top Talent Hires

CharterUP®, the first fully integrated charter bus marketplace for corporations, consumers, and operators, announced today the opening of its new headquarters in Austin, Texas, marking a significant milestone in the company’s continued growth. With the new headquarters, the company plans to hire over 100 employees, driving job opportunities and further establishing Austin as the country’s next tech hub.

CharterUP also announced today the expansion of their senior leadership team with three new executive hires including Brian Showers as the company’s Chief Technology Officer, Nick Donelson as Vice President of Product and Evan Hopkins as Vice President of Supply. Under the expanded leadership team, CharterUP is poised to achieve its goal of bringing unprecedented accountability, transparency and reliability to charter services across every zip code nationwide.

CharterUP’s group transportation platform offers on-demand access to available charters, ratings, on-time performance, safety records, vehicle tracking and more, connecting customers with available fleets in under 60 seconds. The company is rapidly expanding its footprint across Texas with hundreds of buses and dozens of partnerships already rolled out. With plans to bring over 100 jobs to the Austin region, CharterUP is setting the stage for continued success and growth in the years to come. For local operators, CharterUP’s data-driven approach helps them to better forecast their business while securing more bookings. The company also offers interest-free financing to help operators expand their fleet to meet demand, even covering marketing costs to attract drivers.

“Austin is leading the charge in innovation and technology nationwide, making it an ideal base for CharterUP as we embark on this exciting new chapter,” said Armir Harris, CEO of CharterUP. “With the addition of Brian, Nick, and Evan to our leadership team, we’re confident that we’ll be able to continue our rapid growth and deliver even more value to our customers. Their wealth of experience and expertise in technology, product management, and supply chain will be invaluable as we work to drive innovation and operational excellence.”

Brian Showers joins as Chief Technology Officer, bringing 20+ years of experience in the technology industry, including from RetailMeNot and Dosh. At RetailMeNot, he led the development of the company’s core technology platform, which was named one of the top 10 shopping apps by USA Today. Brian will be leading engineering efforts and working closely with product teams to deliver exceptional experiences for our customers, including advancing CharterUP’s mobile app.

Austin will serve as the company’s tech and product hub and Showers has been tasked to more than 3x today’s team of 30 in the region. The influx of tech companies and businesses establishing corporate headquarters in the Austin area will continue to transform the area into a center for commerce and convening, making Central Texas a place primed for CharterUP to support organizations in need of easy, accessible group transport.

“I am thrilled to be joining CharterUP as the company’s commitment to innovation and customer satisfaction aligns perfectly with my personal passions and values. I look forward to leading the company’s technology platform and am confident I can help the team continue to grow and push the boundaries of what’s possible,” said Brian Showers, CTO of CharterUP. “I look forward to collaborating with this team to push boundaries, exceed expectations and make a real impact in the group transportation industry.”

Nick Donelson joins as Vice President of Product, with over a decade of experience in product management and innovation, having led product teams at several successful startups and Fortune 500 companies, including Walmart eCommerce. He will lead the company’s product strategy and roadmap. Evan Hopkins joins as Vice President of Supply and brings extensive experience in startups, business operations and the travel industry, having held senior leadership positions at several rapidly growing companies and formerly served as Outdoorsy’s VP of Global Sales and Customer Operations. He will lead the company’s supply-side, partnerships and customer support strategy.

The company’s sales, customer success, and finance operations will remain in Atlanta, Georgia. CharterUP is the No. 1 charter services provider for Fortune 500 companies like Google, Apple, Texas Instruments and more. Since its founding in 2018, the company has experienced over 100 percent annual growth, with an impressive network of more than 600 partners operating a combined fleet of more than 4,000 vehicles.

These announcements come on the heels of CharterUP’s recent launch in New York City with a virtual fleet of more than 220 buses in partnership with over 30 locally-based charter operators, and is a testament to the company’s commitment to bringing its services to as many people nationwide as possible.

For more information on CharterUP, visit charterup.com.

About CharterUP
CharterUP is the first fully integrated marketplace for bus charters in the U.S. Built for corporations, individual users, and operators; its platform removes the friction from reserving private group transportation by instantly connecting bookers to a virtual fleet of local bus operators. Its platform features a suite of capabilities that includes instant booking, real-time availability & tracking, and dynamic pricing via self-serve technology. Combined with its growing virtual fleet of over 4,000 fully integrated charters, CharterUP delivers unmatched accessibility, accountability, and transparency never seen before in the charter bus space. Founded by long-time charter bus entrepreneur Armir Harris in 2018, CharterUP is headquartered in Atlanta and works with operators in dozens of local markets nationwide. For more information, visit charterup.com.

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