CEO, OutdoorHub, Bingham Farms
Revenue: $9.5 million // Employees: 52
Prior to joining OutdoorHub as CEO, Hyaat Chaudhary started an online commerce company called eBrands. Based in Birmingham, in just two year’s time the company saw revenue jump fivefold while profits increased sevenfold. After selling the business in the fall of 2011, Chaudhary was appointed CEO of OutdoorHub in Bingham Farms, which bills itself as the world’s largest digital media company targeting the outdoors — fishing, hiking, boating, skiing, power sports, etc. The company represents 600 websites via partnerships and advertising reach, which collectively generate more than 22 million unique visitors per month. “We’ve made huge forays into video, with more than 2 million video subscribers and 1 million video views a day,” Chaudhary says. “We have an in-house division that syndicates content through our proprietary technology, and we’re just starting to branch out into digital streaming.” In the near future, Chaudhary and his team will reposition the company’s various assets — action adventure sports, outdoor activities, and agriculture — under Carbon Media Group. In addition to producing daily e-newsletters, the company sells digital ad space and provides content for dozens of clients including General Motors, Energizer, All State Insurance, REI, and Kawasaki. Chaudhary spent seven years in private equity before launching eBrands. “From startups to large corporations, I’ve been fortunate to see both sides of successful businesses,” he says. “The key thing is finding the right talent and then providing the right tools so they can grow.” — R.J. King
