Bazaarvoice Rated #1 Best Place to Work by Austin Business Journal

Austin, Texas – May 22, 2009 – Bazaarvoice, the leader in social commerce solutions that drive sales, today announced that it has been named the Best Place to Work in Central Texas by the Austin Business Journal. Bazaarvoice was selected as #1 in the medium-sized business category based on confidential feedback from its employees in the following categories: team effectiveness, retention risk, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, individual contribution, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued, work engagement, and people practices. This is the third consecutive year that Bazaarvoice has been honored by the Austin Business Journal for its unique entrepreneurial culture that fosters passion, execution, excellence, teamwork, and openness.

“In four years, Bazaarvoice has grown from a small Austin start-up to a global company with more than 400 employees and 525 clients worldwide,” said Brett Hurt, founder and CEO of Bazaarvoice. “I firmly believe that our culture is responsible for our success as a company. As we’ve grown, we’ve been able to successfully maintain an open organization where everyone has an ownership stake in a shared goal. Even more importantly, we’ve created a structure for supporting the development of each employee and manager as a whole person who is actively engaged in their work, home, and community. The result is greater retention, employee satisfaction, and, ultimately, productivity, in this new era of transparency and connectedness.”

Bazaarvoice means voice of the open marketplace, and the term defines the company’s vision and its workplace. The company has adopted many leading-edge practices such as intense testing for all new hires, an upward feedback program for managers in quarterly performance reports, and an unrestricted vacation policy based on trust. Employees participate in regular leadership training, such as the all-company Total Leadership initiative based on The Wharton School professor Stew Friedman’s book that emphasizes the alignment of work life with core values. Employees are also encouraged to give back to the community through the active Bazaarvoice Foundation.

“When someone asks me what gets me most excited about working at Bazaarvoice, I have to talk about all the passion that I’ve found within this company. We have an amazing culture that fosters innovation and initiative,” said Sherrie Nguyen, a Bazaarvoice community manager who recently started a Bazaarvoice Tribe to raise funds for cancer research after being inspired by a Bazaarvoice Speaker Series presentation from Doug Ulman, CEO of the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and Nick Valvano, CEO of The V Foundation for Cancer Research. “It was great to see everyone support a wonderful cause and know that we are making a difference together. The best part is seeing that, in a culture of innovation and initiative, Bazaarvoice employees are quick to offer support. This is the essence of our Tribe.”