Research and Development

Talent, Experience, Partnership...

What sets us apart from all the rest is not just the quality of our research, but also the professionals we hire. You can be assured of two things with MSS:

• Our senior leaders remain involved in ongoing project work.
  
  
• We communicate on not only how to interpret the information we uncover, but most importantly, how to use it to drive your brand forward.

Kevin Moran, President

Kevin Moran is a pioneer in the space of influencer research and has strategically directed the growth of MSS into being the preeminent provider of insight regarding these critical contributors to a brand’s success.  He has extensive experience in marketing and sales of tangible and intangible products and services in a diverse set of business. He has particular acumen in the development and execution of tactical marketing strategy across multiple categories, retail experience marketing, brand positioning/communications and targeting/segmentation for B2B and B2C marketers.

Kevin is a regular speaker at professional conferences throughout the world and various industry-specific organizations.  While constantly pushing the depth of vision and direction for MSS, he also maintains a “hands on” approach among clients and oversight of major project assignments.  He has provided strategic consulting on to a broad array of globally based businesses including:  Absolut Spirits, Anheuser-Busch, Ashland Oil-Valvoline, Astra Zeneca, Bacardi, Bayer, Beam Global Spirits, Boston Beer/Sam Adams, Boehringer-Ingelheim, BP Air, BP Lubricants, BP Marine, Bridgestone-Firestone, Brown Forman, Continental Tire, Creative Channel Services, Diageo, E&J Gallo, Eastman Kodak, Electrolux, ExxonMobil, General Electric, Goodyear Tire, GSK, Heineken USA, InBev (now AB), Joico, Jose Cuervo, Ketel One, Kuhmo Tire, LG Electronics and MobileComm, Maritz Research, Matrixx, McNeil Nutritionals, Microsoft, Mike’s Hard Lemonade, MillerCoors, Moet Hennessy, Molson Coors, Nikon, Nokia, Nolet Spirits, Palm, Paterno Wines, Patron Spirits, Pernod Ricard, Price Communications, P&G, Proximo Spirits, Quigley, Red Stripe, Remy Cointreau USA, Research in Motion, Royal Purple, SAB Miller, Samsung, Sara Lee, Schering Plough, Shell Oil, Skyy (now Campari), Sony Electronics, Stock Spirits Group, Stolichnaya Brand Organization, and William Grant, Brahma, Guinness Pubs Worldwide, IBM, Ingram Micro, LaFarge, H.J. Heinz.

Kevin’s past work experiences include high risk arbitrage trading at PaineWebber, and institutional brokerage management at Shearson Lehman Brothers, owning/managing a $2 million bar/restaurant in New Orleans, leading spirits divisions for Diageo PLC, project interfacing and management at Southern Wine & Spirits, and leading the global sales and marketing division at Copernicus, the widely respected marketing science and strategy firm. 

Kevin holds a BA in Economics with a minor in Psychology from Yale University and an MBA from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business.

Scott Snow, Sr. VP – Operations & Analytics

Scott has an extensive background in market research across many methodologies and within numerous industries. He has spent nearly his entire career consulting with top 100 corporations on business issues and research needs. Over the past 20 years, he has conducted numerous research studies from very large multi-country tracking programs in the automotive industry to smoking cessation research for the State of Michigan. Scott has a keen understanding of both quantitative and qualitative methodologies – having conducted over 100 QFD interviews and moderated numerous triads and focus groups over the years.  He brings a consultative approach to understanding business issues and translating them into superior research design and actionable analytics.

Scott joined MSS in 2007 as Director, Custom Analytics. Scott has responsibility for day to day operations of MSS as well as all custom research designs across all MSS clients.  Scott also heads up the Consumer Electronics Portfolio for clients such as Kodak, Sony and LG, the Pharmacist/Physician Portfolio for clients such as GSK, P&G, Schering Plough and McNeil, the Automotive/Transportation Portfolio for clients such as BP, Shell, Continental and BF Goodrich. 

Prior to joining MSS, Scott was Manager of Primary and Satisfaction Research for CVS Caremark | Caremark with responsibility for primary research and satisfaction measurement among clients as well as participants.  Scott was also Vice President, Research at Research International where he had direct account responsibility for clients such as Burger King, Chevron/Texaco, Banner Health, Advance Paradigm, Ford Motor Co., and Mazda and was a Sr. Project Director at JD Power and Associates working on Initial Quality Studies for Passenger Vehicles/Trucks and Medium Duty Trucks as well as Customer Satisfaction Index Studies for both Automotive and Financial clients.

Scott holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Marketing from the University of Toledo.

David Cast, VP – Research Services & NPD

David Cast is a marketing research professional with ten years of product development and trade marketing research experience. David has been with MSS since its inception, and oversees a team of research professionals on all facets of research ranging from questionnaire development to analysis on many of our influencer studies, both domestically and globally. David was instrumental (and continues to be responsible for) new product development and the successful launch of MSS Influencer studies enabling MSS to obtain a solid foundation and grow within multiple categories. 

David has applied his practical, business-focused research approach to multiple industries, including alcohol beverage, wireless, automotive, health care and consumer packaged goods. He has provided marketing research consulting to a myriad of companies including Diageo, Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Miller Coors, Microsoft, LG Electronics, Sony Electronics, Royal Dutch Shell, BP, Goodyear, Bayer and Astra Zeneca.

Prior to his position at MSS, David spent five years at Procter & Gamble. While at P&G, he improved product design, sustained future business growth, and developed extensive product improvements within the Fabric & Home Care division. 

David received his Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Miami University in Oxford, OH, and holds an MBA from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH.

Susan Luebke, Senior Research Analyst

Susan Luebke is a project management professional with advanced technical expertise, numerous years of marketing research, analysis and public relations experience. 

Susan joined MSS in 2007 ago as a research analyst. During her tenure at MSS, Susan has been instrumental in strategic qualitative and quantitative research efforts with an explicit focus on consumer electronics/audio visual devices, wireless devices and consumer appliances. Additional industries include, but are not limited to: alcohol beverage, automotive, health care and pharmaceuticals. Ms. Luebke designs and executes custom market research to produce actionable insights while collaborating with top tier corporations such as Microsoft, LG Electronics, BlackBerry, Sony Electronics, Diageo, Remy Cointreau USA, Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Diageo, Pernod Ricard, Bacardi International, Moet Hennessey (LVMH), Miller Coors, Shell, Exxon Mobil, BP, P&G, etc.  Susan develops integrated analyses, reports and presentations to facilitate improved understanding of industry practices and influencer mindsets.

Prior to her position at MSS, Susan spent over six years at the Arizona Supreme Court. While at the AOC, Susan instituted aggressive auditing mechanisms, multi channel marketing and managed technological impact assessments. In addition, as marketing and merchandising representative for companies such as LucasArts, Eidos and Logitech, Susan utilized innovative field marketing solutions to drive sales and increase ROI in numerous retail channels.

Susan received her Bachelor’s degree in Psychology at the University of Wisconsin – Madison, and holds an MSW from Arizona State University and MBA from the University of Phoenix.

Viktoriya Vetter, Sr. Research Analyst Operations Manager

Viktoriya joined MSS as an administrative assistant in 2006. With an inquisitive nature and very strong work ethic, she quickly started assisting research staff on many projects interpreting data, developing reports and creating presentations for client understanding. Her skills and enthusiasm in research enabled her to join the research staff full time as a Research Analyst in 2008. Her understanding and attention to detailed processes along with an innate ability to teach others provided MSS the opportunity to charge Viktoriya with the task of overseeing our Research Analyst team responsible for data processing and report preparation. MSS reputation for unimpeachable data is largely resultant of Viktoriya's ability to develop and implement very robust quality control processes and checks as well as train all new MSS employees on those standards and processes.

With respect to data integrity, Viktoriya's team touches all MSS studies. With respect to her role as a Sr. Research Analyst, Viktoriya’s focus is in Influencer research studies across most all categories including the MSS Liquor Portfolio (bartender, retailer, wait staff, hot drinks), Wireless Portfolio, Home Care Portfolio, Consumer Electronics Portfolio and more. In conduct of these projects, she works closely with Microsoft, LG Electronics, Diageo, Bacardi, Joico, Beam Global Spirits and Wine, Miller Coors, Heineken, and more.

Prior to joining MSS, Viktoriya was an assistant manager at Starbucks managing kiosk inventory, employee schedules and complete system operations. She is currently working towards her bachelor's degree in Sociology.

Jeff Wilson, Sr. Research Analyst

Jeff is a seasoned research professional who joins MSS with over 10 years of experience in market research analysis and consultative guidance. Jeff joined MSS in 2011 and works closely with senior management in the implementation of MSS Influencer and custom ad-hoc research projects.

Prior to joining MSS, Jeff worked as a Senior Analyst at Market Solutions Group where he managed multiple concurrent research projects from phone and online data collection through analysis. He provided insightful analysis and guidance on customer satisfaction and advertising effectiveness in the financial services industry. Prior to Market Solutions Group, Jeff was a Senior Analyst with In-Stat, where he provided market sizing, segmentation and forecasting trends for US business information technology spending.  As a Senior Analyst, Jeff has worked closely with a very diverse group of clients including many of the top US financial institutions (HSBC, Chase, First Tennessee, and more), telecom providers (AT&T, Verizon) and consulting firms (McKinsey) as well as some of the largest Arizona businesses (SRP and AAA Arizona).

Jeff graduated from Arizona State University with Bachelor's degrees in Economics and Marketing.

Jordan Gindt, Research Analyst

Jordan is a Research Analyst with nearly three years of experience at MSS. He is an essential part of the Alcohol Beverage, Wireless Device, and Consumer Electronics teams. He has collaborated with these teams on both Influencer tracker and custom ad-hoc projects writing questionnaires for field, completing statistical analysis and generating actionable insights for reporting and presenting back to clients. While still involved heavily in the Alcohol Beverage category, Jordan has recently joined the Automotive team and has become integral in the execution of our Oil studies across the globe (jet fuel, heavy-duty engine oil, and passenger car motor oil).

Jordan earned his bachelor’s degree from UW-Milwaukee, double-majoring in Finance and Spanish, and has an MBA from the W.P. Carey School of Business at Arizona State University. Prior to joining MSS, Jordan worked in finance for both Schreiber Foods and Walmart.

Melinda Rice, Research Analyst

As a Research Analyst with MSS, Melinda consults across many categories, including: Alcohol Beverage, Home Improvement, Consumer Electronics, Wireless and Financial. Melinda touches all facets of MSS projects from questionnaire development to final results presentation. In addition to day to day project oversight, Melinda is also responsible for MSS’ scholastic internship program, mentoring interns toward careers in market research.

Melinda joined the MSS team after completing her Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the W.P. Carey School of Business - Arizona State University and her certificate in Asian Pacific American Studies. Prior to joining MSS, Melinda interned for the Asian Pacific Arizona Initiative providing research preparation, analysis and reporting to educate Arizona influencers about the diversity of Asian American and Pacific Islanders in Arizona.

Christine Aiello, Office Manager

Christine joined the MSS team as Office Administrator. With over 10 years experience managing both service and business offices, she has all the right capabilities and skills to assist the MSS team of research experts in providing an exceptional client experience.

Business Development and Support

Chuck Sakany, Senior Vice President, Sales

Chuck recently joined MSS and has spent his entire career in sales and marketing management, with a long stint in the distilled spirits industry.

He worked in a variety of management roles with Carlson Restaurants Worldwide, Inc., before moving to Southern Wine and Spirits, the leading distributor of beverage alcohol products in the United States. He built significant distilled spirits industry knowledge while at Southern, serving in several sales and marketing roles such as sales manager of the head office in Miami.

He joined United Distillers USA in 1997, managing key accounts for the company. Following the merger of Grand Metropolitan and Guinness, Chuck joined Schieffelin & Somerset Co. as distribution manager. As the result of a joint distribution agreement between parent companies Diageo and L.V.M.H., Schieffelin, Chuck managed the sales and marketing responsibilities for the premium wine and spirits brands owned by each of its corporate parents.
In 2001, Chuck joined Copernicus, a well-respected marketing strategy development firm where he lead overall business development.

He concentrated his new business development efforts on industries including:

• Wine and Spirits
• Pharmaceuticals
• Automotive services and parts
• Hospitals
• Medical Products
• Not-for-profits
• Consumer packaged goods
• Consumer electronic goods
• Consumer and B2B services
• Retail

Crystal Babin, Controller

Crystal Babin joined MSS as Controller in 2005 and is responsible for all financial reporting, planning and budgeting, and control and analysis for the company. She brings over 25 years of experience in these disciplines, with particular familiarity and hands on capabilities with small to medium size businesses.

Prior to joining MSS, she spent two years as Corporate Controller for Carat Americas, a publicly traded global media and marketing services company. This position reported directly to the Corporate Chief Financial Officer. In this capacity she was responsible for all corporate level budgeting and financial reporting. This also included working as liaison with the North and Latin American business units’ Financial Directors on accounting and finance policies, intercompany charges, and financial reporting requirements. 

Before joining Carat, Crystal spent over ten years at Copernicus Marketing Consulting (acquired by Market Facts/Synovate in 2001 and now a division of Carat Americas) as Controller, after a number of years in both public and private accounting positions.

Crystal holds a B.S. in Accounting from Fairfield University.