SponsorCX (Lehi, UT) names veteran marketer Russ Hannig as COO amid rapid expansion, doubling its team and advancing its mission to modernize global sponsorship management across sports, entertainment, and the arts.
Lehi, Utah — October 15, 2025
SponsorCX, the Lehi, Utah-based leader in sponsorship management software, announced today the appointment of Russ Hannig as Chief Operating Officer, marking a new phase of growth for one of the state’s fastest-rising tech companies.
Hannig, who most recently served as Senior Vice President of Growth Marketing at Gabb and previously led integrated marketing and brand experience at Ancestry, joins SponsorCX as the company expands across professional sports, entertainment, and the arts. His leadership will span marketing, human resources, and customer success — three areas central to SponsorCX’s next stage of scale.
“Russ is one of the most skilled and well-rounded leaders I’ve had the privilege of knowing,” said Jason Smith, CEO of SponsorCX. “His ability to scale teams, build strategy, and drive growth makes him uniquely qualified to help take SponsorCX to the next level.”
The hire follows several key executive additions, including Jeff Knudsen, formerly of Salesforce (Spiff), and Nathan Bleak, former CRO at Fishbowl. Together, the new leadership team reflects the company’s ongoing investment in proven operators capable of guiding SponsorCX through its next growth phase.
Expanding Reach Across Sports and Entertainment
SponsorCX has quietly become a go-to platform for sponsorship management among major sports organizations, venues, and entertainment properties. The company supports professional and collegiate teams across the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, and NCAA, as well as major events like the Kentucky Derby and the Valero Alamo Bowl.
“We’re helping everyone from professional teams to county fairs to arts organizations manage their sponsorship relationships more efficiently,” Hannig said. “These groups have been relying on spreadsheets or outdated systems for years. SponsorCX brings everything into one place, helping them tell a better story of value to their partners.”
While some of the company’s largest new partnerships have not yet been publicly announced, SponsorCX’s client list has grown significantly over the past year.
Doubling Growth and Building Utah’s Next Industry Hub
Backed by investors Kickstart (Salt Lake City) and Blueprint Equity (San Diego), as covered by TechBuzz back in April of this year, SponsorCX has nearly doubled its headcount since its most recent funding round. Hannig said a key focus will be strengthening company culture and scaling operations in a way that keeps SponsorCX’s Utah roots front and center.
“I want to help make SponsorCX not just a great company to work for, but a company that helps grow the entire Silicon Slopes ecosystem,” Hannig said. “We’re hiring, we’re expanding, and we’re building something lasting here in Utah.”
Revolutionizing Sponsorships Through Technology
At its core, SponsorCX is modernizing how brands and properties manage partnerships. The company’s newly launched brand-side product allows major advertisers to track sponsorship performance and ROI across teams, venues, and events — bridging a major gap in the industry.
“There won’t be many major brands in the world that don’t touch SponsorCX in some way,” Hannig said. “Whether you’re a sports franchise or a global consumer brand, our goal is to make managing sponsorships simpler, smarter, and more impactful.”
Industry veterans see a similar need. As one longtime sponsorship executive recently told the company, the space has been “stuck in spreadsheets” for decades — an inefficiency SponsorCX aims to solve through data, automation, and AI-driven insights.
Founded by Jason Smith (a former executive with the Utah Jazz, BYU, and Mountain America Credit Union) and Creed Mangrum, an MIT-trained technologist, SponsorCX blends deep industry knowledge with modern software architecture. That dual DNA — practical sponsorship expertise and technical excellence — has become a key differentiator.
As the company celebrates its fourth anniversary this month, SponsorCX is solidifying its place as one of Utah’s most promising growth-stage companies — and one that’s quietly reshaping an industry long overdue for change.
Learn more at sponsorcx.com.