About Us

  • The Beginning

    Original investors of eCampus.com included Wendy's founder Dave Thomas, Long John Silver's founder James Patterson and George F. Valassis, creator of the free-standing insert which revolutionized the coupon industry. All told, eCampus.com raised $91 million from 429 investors during the dot com bubble. Determined to launch the website before fall classes began at U.S. colleges and universities, eCampus.com was built from scratch in just eight months. The website launched on Mr. Thomas' birthday, July 2nd, 1999 and pioneered selling used textbooks online.

  • Products and Services

    eCampus.com today is a premier online retailer of new, used and electronic textbooks for sale or rent, study materials and book buyback services headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky. In addition to direct retail sales via the online eCampus.com storefront, the company partners with colleges, universities and K-12 schools to serve as their official bookstore. Currently the eCampus.com Virtual Bookstore Program serves as the official bookstore for over 150 schools nationwide and that number continues to grow each year.

  • Awards and Achievements

    About.com Readers Choice Award for "Best Website for Buying College Textbooks"- 2012, 2013
    Internet Retailer Top 500 List- 2007-2016

  • Our Philosophy

    With students best interests at the core of all efforts put forth by eCampus.com, the company has an "Adapt or Die" philosophy, making necessary changes to their business model to best suit the modern day student. The company's executive team is comprised of the former Vice President, Director of Customer Service, Distribution Operations Manager and Senior Project Manager at Thomson Learning, which is known today as Cengage Learning. This invaluable experience and the company's winning philosophy have allowed eCampus.com to remain profitable today, where other online textbook industry leaders are not.

  • Our Mission

    eCampus.com's mission is to set online bookstore industry standards for savings, selection, convenience and customer service as expressed in the company's slogan "Textbooks Easy. Fast. Cheap!" The company celebrated 15 years in business in 2015 and will continue to provide students with an easy, fast and cheap way to order their textbooks and materials for years to come.

Our Executive Team

Matt Montgomery
Matt Montgomery
President and
Chief Executive Officer
David Clay
David Clay
Chief Operating Officer
Barry Kern
Barry Kern
Executive Vice President
of Sales
  • Matt Montgomery

    President and Chief Executive Officer

    With a vision for cutting-edge solutions that keep the customer at the heart of our business, Matt is a founding partner of eCampus.com and remains the driving force of our company’s success. With an "Adapt or Die" philosophy, Matt was instrumental in positioning eCampus.com as a pioneer in online textbooks beginning in 1999. His invaluable insights, stemming from over 30 years in the publishing industry, coupled with a commitment to driving down the cost of higher education has made eCampus.com the major player that it is in the online textbook industry today.

  • David Clay

    Chief Operating Officer

    Committed to ensuring operational success, David oversees Customer Order Fulfillment, Maintenance, Human Resources and Customer Service for eCampus.com. He brings over 35 years of experience to the table, reflected in the implementation of our automated distribution center and his coordination of other department operations. Under his leadership, eCampus.com successfully supports annual distribution of volumes over 5 million units and consistent customer order support.

  • Barry Kern

    Executive Vice President of Sales

    Bringing over 30 years of publishing and higher education experience to the table, Barry oversees sales operations for eCampus.com. His commitment to acquiring long-term partnerships is evident through his superior communication, expansive industry knowledge, and attention to detail. Through Barry’s efforts, eCampus.com has entered into some of the largest online bookstore contracts in the industry, including the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Miami University, with a combined enrollment of over 50,000 students.

Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Chief Financial Officer
Radhika Charla
Radhika Charla
Chief Technology Officer
Clay Pickens
Clay Pickens
Chief Strategy Officer
  • Kevin Smith, CPA

    Chief Financial Officer

    Kevin Smith, a graduate of Morehead State University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in Accounting, brings over 25 years of financial leadership to the eCampus.com executive team. Beginning his career in public accounting, Kevin specialized in audit and consulting services for dynamic small to medium-sized enterprises. Demonstrating financial acumen, he advanced to a pivotal role as corporate controller for an industrial services firm in Lexington, Kentucky. As Chief Financial Officer of eCampus.com, Kevin's strategic financial oversight is paramount in driving the company's fiscal growth and stability.

  • Radhika Charla

    Chief Technology Officer

    Radhika Charla, Chief Technology Officer, has been with eCampus.com since the beginning, and championed the architecture and deployment of the company's core infrastructure. She has served as the head of the Technology Department since 2013, focusing efforts on maintaining cutting-edge technology products that are agile, scalable, and cost-effective. Her contributions include the development of three online retail websites, an online bookstore solution that currently serves over 350 institutional partners, and robust administration support tools to fuel best-in-class customer support. As a member of the executive team, Radhika’s vast industry knowledge provides technology-focused strategic planning expertise that ensures eCampus.com remains an industry leader. Radhika studied at the University of Maryland where she received a Master’s in Information Technology.

  • Clay Pickens

    Chief Strategy Officer

    Clay Pickens, a University of Kentucky alumnus, has dedicated over a decade of pivotal contributions to eCampus.com. As Chief Strategy Officer, Clay expertly steers the company's vision by overseeing publisher relationships in addition to partnerships with over 300 higher education institutions spanning online bookstores and full-service campus stores. Rooted in an expansive understanding of the higher education landscape and enriched by deep publisher relations, Clay's strategic acumen ensures continual growth and expansion. His expertise in textbook ecosystems and dedication to nurturing mutually beneficial relationships cements eCampus.com's reputation for fostering lasting success for all partners.

Matt Montgomery
Matt Montgomery
President and
Chief Executive Officer
  • Matt Montgomery

    President and Chief Executive Officer

    With a vision for cutting-edge solutions that keep the customer at the heart of our business, Matt is a founding partner of eCampus.com and remains the driving force of our company’s success. With an "Adapt or Die" philosophy, Matt was instrumental in positioning eCampus.com as a pioneer in online textbooks beginning in 1999. His invaluable insights, stemming from over 30 years in the publishing industry, coupled with a commitment to driving down the cost of higher education has made eCampus.com the major player that it is in the online textbook industry today.

David Clay
David Clay
Chief Operating Officer
  • David Clay

    Chief Operating Officer

    Committed to ensuring operational success, David oversees Customer Order Fulfillment, Maintenance, Human Resources and Customer Service for eCampus.com. He brings over 35 years of experience to the table, reflected in the implementation of our automated distribution center and his coordination of other department operations. Under his leadership, eCampus.com successfully supports annual distribution of volumes over 5 million units and consistent customer order support.

Barry Kern
Barry Kern
Executive Vice President
of Sales
  • Barry Kern

    Executive Vice President of Sales

    Bringing over 30 years of publishing and higher education experience to the table, Barry oversees sales operations for eCampus.com. His commitment to acquiring long-term partnerships is evident through his superior communication, expansive industry knowledge, and attention to detail. Through Barry’s efforts, eCampus.com has entered into some of the largest online bookstore contracts in the industry, including the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Miami University, with a combined enrollment of over 50,000 students.

Kevin H. Smith
Kevin H. Smith, CPA
Chief Financial Officer
  • Kevin Smith, CPA

    Chief Financial Officer

    Kevin Smith, a graduate of Morehead State University with a Bachelor's in Business Administration in Accounting, brings over 25 years of financial leadership to the eCampus.com executive team. Beginning his career in public accounting, Kevin specialized in audit and consulting services for dynamic small to medium-sized enterprises. Demonstrating financial acumen, he advanced to a pivotal role as corporate controller for an industrial services firm in Lexington, Kentucky. As Chief Financial Officer of eCampus.com, Kevin's strategic financial oversight is paramount in driving the company's fiscal growth and stability.

Radhika Charla
Radhika Charla
Chief Technology Officer
  • Radhika Charla

    Chief Technology Officer

    Radhika Charla, Chief Technology Officer, has been with eCampus.com since the beginning, and championed the architecture and deployment of the company's core infrastructure. She has served as the head of the Technology Department since 2013, focusing efforts on maintaining cutting-edge technology products that are agile, scalable, and cost-effective. Her contributions include the development of three online retail websites, an online bookstore solution that currently serves over 350 institutional partners, and robust administration support tools to fuel best-in-class customer support. As a member of the executive team, Radhika’s vast industry knowledge provides technology-focused strategic planning expertise that ensures eCampus.com remains an industry leader. Radhika studied at the University of Maryland where she received a Master’s in Information Technology.

Clay Pickens
Clay Pickens
Chief Strategy Officer
  • Clay Pickens

    Chief Strategy Officer

    Clay Pickens, a University of Kentucky alumnus, has dedicated over a decade of pivotal contributions to eCampus.com. As Chief Strategy Officer, Clay expertly steers the company's vision by overseeing publisher relationships in addition to partnerships with over 300 higher education institutions spanning online bookstores and full-service campus stores. Rooted in an expansive understanding of the higher education landscape and enriched by deep publisher relations, Clay's strategic acumen ensures continual growth and expansion. His expertise in textbook ecosystems and dedication to nurturing mutually beneficial relationships cements eCampus.com's reputation for fostering lasting success for all partners.

Our History

eCampus Launch Icon

1999 eCampus.com Launches

eCampus.com launched on July 2nd, 1999 and pioneered selling used textbooks online. From the beginning, the company made a personal commitment to all students to be an easy, fast and cheap way to order their textbooks and materials. eCampus.com continues to stand by their commitment, having saved students millions of dollars on textbooks for over 15 years.

Timeline Book Icon

2002 The eCampus.com Virtual Bookstore Program

The eCampus.com Virtual Bookstore Program enables colleges, universities and K-12 schools to streamline their textbook fulfillment processes and turn them into profit centers. Over the years, the company has perfected their virtual bookstore model, accompanying it with proprietary software that is second to none in the online textbook industry. The success of the division is undeniable as they currently serve as the official bookstore for over 150 schools nationwide and that number continues to grow each year.

Timeline eTextbook Icon

2008 eTextbooks

In August of 2008, eCampus.com announced a groundbreaking partnership with digital textbook giant CourseSmart. This partnership gave customers access to CourseSmart's massive digital library of eTextbooks and gave eCampus.com the ability to offer students an environmentally friendly opportunity to save money on textbooks. In addition to the partnerships eCampus.com has with digital textbook companies, eCampus.com has also developed their own library of eTextbooks, as well as an eReader to support them.

Timeline Rental Icon

2009 Textbook Rentals

eCampus.com announced their rental program in fall of 2009. The eCampus.com "Rent and Return" program allows students to rent all of their textbooks from one place on their own terms. The company has the largest rental inventory and offers three different rental terms. Textbook rentals continue to be the most popular option for students, saving them hundreds of dollars each semester.

Timeline eWards Icon

2012 eWards

In August of 2012, eCampus.com launched their rewards program, eWards. eWards is completely free to join and available to all eCampus.com customers. When a customer enrolls they are awarded 50 points. Additional points can be earned several ways, such as buying, renting and selling textbooks. Points can be redeemed for gift cards of different values to be used toward future purchases. The rewards program continues to grow today as it is approaching nearly 60,000 members.