__________________________________________________________________________The Innovative Choice
   
 Principals:
 

N. Riley Kirby - President & Chief Experiences Officer
 
 Riley understands the keys to enhancing the customer experience. He has a deep understanding of what makes people tick and how to appeal to them. He also has a keen knack for pinpointing an organization's sweet spot to build business. Riley brings more than 20 years of research and strategic planning experience with Fortune 500 companies to the table. Since founding IMR in 1996, Riley has worked with clients in a wide variety of industries to help them uncover growth opportunities. IMR's many repeat clients speaks volumes about Riley's unique ability to design studies that uncover the unanticipated, including emotional drivers, to allow clients to capture and then amplify the voice of the customer in their marketing. Prior to launching IMR, Riley was a research executive for the Washington Post and Miami Herald. In a previous life, Riley taught research and advertising at several universities.
 

Sarah D. Monks – Sr. V.P. Research & Relationships
 
 Sarah is a whiz at market research and survey design, but her USP is her ability to understand and communicate with both clients and study participants. Prior to her eight-year tenure with IMR, Sarah spent more than 10 years with major research and marketing consultancies, including Leo Shapiro & Associates and Conway/Milliken in Chicago, servicing multi-national accounts, such as Kraft, Miller Brewing Company and Tropicana Products. Sarah's experience in a range of industries addressing a wide variety of business challenges, gives her a unique perspective on research design, interpretation of findings, and recommendations for marketing strategy. Sarah's genuine interest in human behavior makes her an excellent researcher. Sarah is also a professional RIVA-trained focus group moderator.
 
Erin Gallagher – V.P. Research & Chief Innovation Officer
 
 Known on our staff as our ‘cultural anthropologist', Erin has spent years observing humans in their natural habitat. She has consulted with business leaders to identify unarticulated needs, key emotional and attitudinal drivers to move consumer and business decision-makers alike. Erin 's experience includes quantitative and qualitative approaches to obtain a deeper understanding of market segments. In addition, Erin also has professional training in creative thinking and leads a group at IMR that has developed a proprietary ideation process – Magellan – for generating breakthrough innovation. Erin designed the Magellan Idea Center, a creative meeting space in Charlotte, North Carolina 's design corridor where IMR holds its ideation sessions. Erin is a certified Employee Retention Specialist and a member of the PDMA (Product Development Management Association), American Creativity Association, the Innovation Network and the World Future Society.
 
Stacey Randall – V.P. & Workplace Futurist
 
 Stacey brings invaluable expertise that helps clients better understand their employees, customers, communities and other key constituencies. Stacey's chief responsibility is leading IMR's work/life survey division which helps assess how well organizations are positioned to attract and retain talented workers. She also brings big-time energy and a unique perspective to IMR's research-driven innovation projects. Her diverse background makes her uniquely qualified for the dual role - developing plans to assess work/life balance issues affecting companies as well as determining innovative practices to help companies uncover areas of differentiation that deliver value to employees as well as customers. Stacey has focused on the work/life issue for years and in 2004 founded a local young professional organization with the mission of raising awareness of demographic changes affecting the city's workforce and determining what it takes to position the city as a top choice among emerging talent. Stacey is a member of the World Future Society and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM).  She is a certified Employee Retention Specialist.
 

Brenda Bryan – Sr. Project Director & Insight Generator
 
 After a number of years of researching tissue cultures, Brenda, a former bacteriogist with Duke University Medical Center and the Kansas City Health Department, began her career in market research. Since her discovery that she has more interest in humans than bacteria, Brenda has spent over 20 years in the marketing research field, managing multi-million dollar budgets for Fortune 500 companies, including a 600-store chain of home improvement stores. Her multi-faceted background makes Brenda an invaluable resource for IMR's research and ideation clients. Brenda's experience provides critical insight to help clients effectively utilize the appropriate tools to guide brand positioning, segment markets to identify best prospects, and develop specific tactics to tackle clients' unique challenges and capitalize on emerging trends.
 
  Laird Lanier – Design Engineer

For IMR, Laird helps facilitate ideation sessions when a client's project calls for a designer, hand-sketching ideas and later turning design ideas into blueprints using modeling software. Laird's approach to both engineering and art is, "The sky truly is the limit… if it can be imagined it can be built." Laird is a unique combination of engineer and artist. Most of his career has been in the engineering field and he holds a degree in Mechanical Engineering, but his passion is design and kinetic art. Laird’s engineering projects range from the blade that cuts your receipt at the gas pump to piping systems that carry the crude oil for that same gas from the sea floor. Other engineering projects over the years have included designs for surgical equipment, industrial machines, ocean-going ships and personnel access systems. Laird has a broad understanding of material properties and manufacturing methods as well as 3-dimensional computer modeling software, analysis and manufacturing. Even with these substantial engineering projects, he has built a successful art career and in 2003 the McColl Center for Visual Art selected Laird as an Affiliate Artist.

IMR Research Group promises an innovative approach to address client challenges.  _____________________________
  
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