HomeAway Announces Passing of Chief Operating Officer, Andrew Harris

AUSTIN, Texas, June 3 /PRNewswire/ -- HomeAway®, Inc. regrets to announce Andrew Harris, the company's chief operating officer (COO), passed away at his home in Austin on June 2, 2010, after a long and valiant battle with cancer.  The company extends its deepest condolences to Mr. Harris' family, especially his beloved wife, Lisa.

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"Andrew's contributions to this business are extraordinary and innumerable, and his strong leadership, experience, wisdom, and keen sense of humor kept HomeAway on track through a period of incredible growth," says Brian Sharples, chief executive officer of HomeAway. "He will be remembered for his passion for excellence, a love of competing, and the opportunities he created for all of us. He will be missed tremendously and never forgotten."

Harris joined HomeAway as COO in October 2005, eight months after the company was founded, and led the company's day-to-day global operations. He instilled the discipline of a Fortune 500 company to HomeAway as a start-up, which fueled extraordinary international growth and resulted in a company that now has more than 680 employees across five countries and three continents.  

Prior to HomeAway, he served as chief executive officer of Handtech, Inc., which provided e-commerce sites and back-office infrastructure to independent technology consultants and value-added resellers. He also served as president of Dell Computer International, launching the company's first overseas venture, which he grew into a 100-country operation.

HomeAway will immediately begin a global search for an appropriate replacement, but as Sharples says, "These are very big shoes to fill, and it won't be easy."

Funeral arrangements are pending.

About HomeAway, Inc:

HomeAway, Inc., based in Austin, Texas, is the global leader in online vacation properties, representing more than 480,000 paid vacation rental home listings throughout 120 countries.  HomeAway offers an extensive selection of vacation homes that provide travelers with memorable experiences and benefits, including more room to relax and added privacy, for less than the cost of traditional hotel accommodations.  The company also makes it easy for vacation rental owners and property managers to advertise their properties and manage bookings online.  The HomeAway portfolio includes the leading vacation rental websites HomeAway.com, VRBO.com and VacationRentals.com in the United States; HomeAway.co.uk and OwnersDirect.co.uk in the United Kingdom; HomeAway.de in Germany; Abritel.fr and Homelidays.com in France; HomeAway.es in Spain; and AlugueTemporada.com.br in Brazil.  The company's portfolio also includes HomeAwayRealEstate.com, which offers unique real estate information that highlights a vacation rental's income potential and destination-specific characteristics.

In addition, HomeAway operates BedandBreakfast.com, the most comprehensive global site for finding bed-and-breakfast properties, providing travelers with another source for unique lodging alternatives to chain hotels.  For more information about HomeAway, please visit www.HomeAway.com.

SOURCE HomeAway, Inc.