Press Releases

Governor Steve Beshear today joined local and company officials to announce Gazelle Inc., the nation’s leading consumer electronics trade-in site, plans to establish a 37,500-square-foot processing center on Global Drive in Louisville’s Jefferson Riverport area. The company plans to create 438 new jobs and invest $22.3 million in the Commonwealth over the next several years.

“Gazelle saw a consumer need a few years ago and has worked to fill that void, and that is what a great business is all about,” said Gov. Beshear. “The company has paid out more than $100 million for used consumer electronic devices and is growing more than 100 percent year over year. That shows the type of growth and success that will drive their 438 jobs and $22.3 million investment, and we couldn’t be happier they’ve decided to invest here in Louisville.”

Gazelle opened its doors in 2007, and began pioneering a new idea called “reCommerce” that led to the consumer electronics trade-­in site, Gazelle.com. The company offers consumers an opportunity to earn cash for laptops, tablets, smartphones and other electronic devices, and has accepted nearly 1.5 million items people no longer needed.

“We are proud to be opening this state-of-the-art facility in Louisville and appreciate everything Gov. Beshear, Mayor Fischer, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority and Greater Louisville Inc. have done to help us get to this point,” said Israel Ganot, co-founder and CEO of Gazelle. “We chose Louisville for this facility because of the great workforce, because it’s a major shipping hub and because of all the state did to make it economically attractive for us. We’re looking forward to extending our rapid growth trajectory and sharing our success with this fine community.”

To encourage the investment and job creation in Louisville, the Kentucky Economic Development Finance Authority preliminarily approved the company for tax incentives up to $3 million through the Kentucky Business Investment program. The performance-based incentive allows a company to keep a portion of its investment over the term of the agreement through corporate income tax credits and wage assessments by meeting job and investment targets.

“Gazelle’s decision to locate in Louisville is great news for our city, region and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Sen. Perry B. Clark, of Louisville. “This investment and the jobs that will follow will provide a huge boost to our economy. Along with affording us new opportunities, Gazelle’s decision to establish the processing center in Louisville’s Jefferson Riverport area reflects highly on our workforce. I believe I speak for a great many in our community in welcoming Gazelle. Our city looks forward to a longtime corporate partnership with Gazelle, and wishes the company much success. I also want to applaud Gov. Beshear for taking the lead to support this industry, their employees and their families.”

“The market that Gazelle serves promises to grow substantially in the years ahead as the pace of technology speeds up, so this is great news for Louisville and the more than 430 families who will benefit from this sizeable investment,” said Rep. Joni Jenkins, of Shively. “I want to thank Gazelle for taking this step, and I appreciate the hard work that Gov. Beshear, the Cabinet for Economic Development and our local economic officials did to help make this possible.”

“It is always thrilling for me to announce to fellow Louisvillians that we are once again bringing new jobs to our wonderful city,” said Louisville Mayor Greg Fischer. “It all begins with jobs. Our goal as a city is to create and maintain a vibrant and thriving economy, and with the help of innovative companies like Gazelle, we are capable of doing just that! Gazelle is a fast-growing and innovative company, a perfect fit for Louisville!”

“Gazelle is a perfect example of the kind of confidence that businesses have in our community," said GLI President & CEO Craig Richard. “These new and high impact jobs, along with such a significant investment in our increasingly desirable logistics and distribution sector, are welcome boosts to our local and regional economy.”

Information on Kentucky’s economic development efforts and programs is available at www.ThinkKentucky.com. Fans of the Cabinet for Economic Development can also join the discussion on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/ThinkKentucky or follow on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/ThinkKentucky. Watch the Cabinet’s “This is My Kentucky” video at www.YouTube.com/ThinkKentucky.

A detailed community profile for Louisville (Jefferson County) can be viewed at

http://www.thinkkentucky.com/community.aspx?county=Jefferson.

Follow Governor Beshear on Twitter @Govstevebeshear, read the Governor’s personal notes on his blog at http://governor.ky.gov/blog, and view his video commentaries at http://www.youtube.com/governorbeshear

Gazelle, the nation’s leading consumer electronics trade-in site, today announced a major milestone. The company has paid out $100 million for used devices a testament of its continued success in unlocking the value of used devices and fueling the reCommerce market in the United States.

Since Gazelle’s launch in 2008, the company has seen an exponential increase in the number of devices that have been traded in year over year. From its diverse catalog of accepted devices, the iPhone 3G ranks the all-time most popular device traded in on the site, with iPhone 4 in second place. Over the past three years the company has been growing revenue at an average ofabout 100 percentper year, and hit its one-millionth device milestone back in September 2012.

The company received its first device, a Motorola RAZR, in 2007 and the device to put Gazelle over the $100 million mark was coincidentally a Motorola Droid RAZR MAXX.

“Hitting the $100 million mark is an impressive achievement for us, and a testament to the hard work and dedication from everyone at this company,” said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle. “We’re focused on providing the best possible experience for our customers to trade-in their used devices, and milestones like this validate our success at providing a service that’s valuable for consumers in a market that will continue to flourish.”

“I’ve been a loyal Gazelle user for more than three years. Gazelle is super easy, fast and straightforward, plus, I know I’m getting the best price for my old gadgets -- I even got money back for my broken iPhone,” said Gazelle customer Amanda Long from Pompano Beach, Fla. “I love having the option to choose the way I want to be paid for my device, and the promise of complete data removal from my old electronics offers real peace of mind. Because of the above-average service I’ve consistently experienced with Gazelle, I’ve referred my friends and family to use the site, as well.” Long has transacted with Gazelle eight times and has traded in 17 items since April 2010.

Gazelle provides an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to trade-in used devices for cash, which can be used to subsidize their next device purchase. The company currently focuses on high-end consumer electronics, including smartphones, tablets, iPods and laptop and desktop computers.

For more information on how you can trade-in your used device, visitwww.gazelle.com.

About Gazelle

Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has paid out more than $100 million, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

Contact:

Chantal Reisman for Gazelle

617-945-1915

gazelle@launchsquad.com

Gazelle, the nation’s leading consumer electronics trade-in site, today announced Susan M. McCuaig has joined the company as the new chief talent officer. With extensive experience in human resources (HR) for companies of all sizes, McCuaig will be responsible for managing the growth of Gazelle’s employee base through an enhanced talent acquisition and development program.

“As the number of mobile devices entering the market each year continues to increase, there’s an immediate need and opportunity for a company like Gazelle to unlock the value of used devices. Because of this, it’s critical they hire the best talent possible to keep up with this pace while continuing to deliver the best possible customer experience,” said McCuaig, “I’m truly excited to be joining the Gazelle team and look forward to the great things to come.”

“Gazelle is a great place to work, and it’s my goal to make it even better over the coming years. Hiring Susan is just one step in this process,” said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle. “Her senior HR experience has resulted in building world-class, global HR functions many times over. Joining our already strong and talented management team, she will play a key role in guiding Gazelle through an exciting period of growth and change. We’re thrilled to have Susan on board.”

McCuaig’s senior HR experience runs the gamut from small e-commerce start-ups to large international manufacturing companies, and includes pre-IPO organizations as well as established public companies. Before joining Gazelle, McCuaig led Human Resources for DAVIDsTEA, Inc. Prior to that she served as the vice president, Human Resources for CIRCOR International, Inc., a global manufacturer of highly engineered products for the industrial, aerospace and energy markets. Previously, she served as assistant vice president Human Resources for State Street Corporation, where she supported State Street's Wealth Managers Services and Securities Finance divisions. She has also served as the HR advisor to Radius Capital Partners, LLC, vice president of Human Resources for Color Kinetics Incorporated, and served as a partner in Website000 LLC, a business specializing in strategic and organizational development of start-up and emerging growth companies. McCuaig has an MBA from Suffolk University and sits on their management advisory board.

For more information about Gazelle, visit www.gazelle.com.

About Gazelle

Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

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Contact:

Kristin Allaben for Gazelle

617-945-1915

gazelle@launchsquad.com

Gazelle, the leading consumer electronics website and a Boston-based company, today announced the start of a donation drive to give consumers another way to donate to the victims of the Boston Marathon attack.

Who: Gazelle, with all proceeds to benefit The One Fund Boston, the victims' relief fund established by Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Thomas Menino.

What: Consumers can trade-in their used devices on Gazelle.com and donate the value of those devices to The One Fund. In addition to the value normally paid to consumers, Gazelle will donate 100% of profits from the resale of those devices to The One Fund. Eligible devices include any item that can normally be sold to Gazelle, including used iPhones, other high-end smartphones, iPads, iPods and Apple computers.

Where: Consumers can trade-in their used devices on www.gazelle.com/donate to donate.

When: Throughout the month of April 2013.

Why: As a Boston-based company, Gazelle wants to help those in our community impacted by the horrific events of this week. Gazelle's research suggests that roughly half of Americans have an unused smartphone sitting in their homes. This creates an opportunity for consumers to generate a meaningful impact without having to spend cash by donating electronics through Gazelle.

For more information, visit www.gazelle.com/donate

About Gazelle Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading high-end consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

Gazelle, the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, today announced it has teamed up with The Nature Conservancy in support of Earth Month 2013. Gazelle will contribute $1 from every trade received throughout the month of April to The Nature Conservancy's "Plant a Billion Trees" campaign, with a minimum contribution of $25,000.

"The Nature Conservancy is committed to protecting the lands and waters on which all life depends. Brazil's Atlantic Forest is facing unprecedented challenges due to urban expansion, agriculture, ranching and illegal logging," said João Campari, director for the Atlantic Forest and Central Savannas program of The Nature Conservancy. "The funds raised with Gazelle will help advance our restoration work in critical headwaters of the Atlantic Forest, helping to secure clean water for a growing population."

One of the challenges associated with a growing population is the growing number of old and unwanted consumer electronics. In a survey conducted by Gazelle, more than 50 percent of respondents reported putting unwanted gadgets aside, usually in a drawer or closet, instead of selling or recycling them. According to the EPA, there are more than 10 billion pounds of consumer electronics in storage in U.S. homes*, equating to approximately 87 pounds per household.

"Reuse is core to Gazelle's business and has an even greater impact than recycling on perpetuating a sustainable lifestyle," said Israel Ganot, CEO, Gazelle. "The number of unwanted mobile devices is expected to outnumber the global population by the end of this year. By educating consumers about the opportunity to extend the lifecycle of their unwanted devices, we can not only protect the environment, but also help people around the world gain access to cutting-edge technology. Add in the opportunity to earn cash and there really isn't a good reason for people to hold on to their old electronics."

Every trade-in during April will help support the restoration of Brazil's Atlantic Forest to protect fresh water and clean air, pollinate crops and provide food and shelter for millions of people, plants and animals. Through "Plant a Billion Trees," The Nature Conservancy is working to reforest 2.5 million acres and connect more than 12 million acres in new forest corridors. More information is available at www.nature.org/plantabillion.

The work with The Nature Conservancy is the latest activity from Gazelle for Good, a Gazelle program to promote global sustainable technology consumption and give back to the community.

For more information on Gazelle, visitwww.gazelle.com.

*Source: 2009 EPA Statistics on the Management of Used and End-of-Life Electronics

About Gazelle
Gazelle (www.gazelle.com) is the nation's leading consumer electronics trade-in site, providing an easy, fast and safe way for consumers to get cash for their unwanted devices. Gazelle takes the risk and effort out of selling electronic gadgets online with benefits such as free shipping and packaging and comprehensive identity and data removal. To date, Gazelle has accepted more than one million trade-ins, helping consumers upgrade to the latest technology and earn quick cash. Based in Boston, Gazelle is privately owned and is backed by premier venture capital firms Venrock Associates, RockPort Capital Partners, Physic Ventures and Craton Equity Partners.

Gazelle is a trademark of Gazelle, Inc., registered in the U.S.