An American Company Serving the American People
ETC Institute, the company behind the American Travel Survey and
the American Survey Team is a family-owned business that was started in the
Kansas City metro area in 1982.
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In the past 10 years alone, ETC Institute has surveyed more than 3,200,000 people in over 1,000 US communities. We've even conducted surveys overseas for the United States armed forces in Japan and Puerto Rico.
Why We Do What We Do
Market research has a pretty bad reputation these days. ETC Institute keeps our research positive by focusing our efforts on community, organizational, and transportation survey research that can actually improve the lives of the people providing us with information.
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We find out how people feel about different subjects through surveys, personal interviews, and focus groups. We analyze that data and provide insights to elected or public officials so they can improve the communities and services utilized by those people willing to take the time to answer our questions. We ask your opinions and then we use that information to provide you with the things you want. What a crazy concept right?
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Team Leaders
The bio's below represent just a subset of the ETC Institute Team Leaders behind the American Travel Survey. For a full list of ETC Institute Team Leaders click here.
President and CEO
CHRIS TATHAM
Mr. Tatham is one of the nation's leading authorities on the development of qualitative and quantitative customer satisfaction research for state and local governments. During the past ten years, he has designed and implemented customer satisfaction assessments for more than 700 governmental agencies in 46 states.
Mr. Tatham is a highly skilled interviewer and focus group facilitator. His experience includes interviews with foreign cabinet members, Heads-of-State, ambassadors, and numerous leaders at all levels of government and business in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.
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Vice President of Data Management
NICK JONES
Mr. Jones has over 15 years of experience assisting in the design, administration, and analysis of market research for governmental organizations. He has served as Project manager on studies for dozens of governmental and private sector clients. He has also assisted in the coordination and facilitation of focus groups for transportation plans, long range planning efforts, and other customer satisfaction initiatives.
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Vice President of Community Research
JASON MORADO
Mr. Morado has more than 14 years of experience in the design, administration, and analysis of community market research. He has serviced as the project manager and senior researcher on community research projects for over 250 local governmental organizations throughout the U.S. He has also assisted in the coordination and facilitation of focus groups and stakeholder interviews for a wide range of parks and recreation needs assessment surveys, strategic and long range planning efforts, comprehensive planning efforts, and other customer satisfaction initiatives.
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Assistant Director of Community Research
RYAN MURRAY
Mr. Murray has over 12 years of experience in survey administration, development, supervision, and research analysis. Throughout his tenure at ETC Institute Mr. Murray has had the pleasure of working on survey projects that cover a wide variety of topics, including parks and recreation, community planning, customer satisfaction, transportation, employee, library, comprehensive planning, parks and recreation master plans, water and utility, and business development.
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Project Manager
Dawn Davis
Ms. Davis has 5 years of experience assisting in the design, administration, and analysis of market research for governmental organizations. She has served as Project Manager on studies for dozens of governmental and private sector clients. She has also assisted in the coordination and facilitation of focus groups for transportation plans, long range planning efforts, and other customer satisfaction initiatives.
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Chief Financial Officer
Greg Emas
Mr. Emas is an experienced leader with more than 25 years working in the fields of finance, operations, marketing, and sales. Mr. Emas brings to the table unmatched skill sets with a long list of outstanding results handling complex and long-term initiatives.
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Vice President of Operations
Mike Rich
Mr. Rich has more than 25 years of experience in Project Management and Process Improvement methodology as applied in the call center environment. He has extensive background in Training and Development as well as management experience in bargaining and non-bargaining environments.
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Vice President of Systems
Andrew Kolcz
Mr. Kolcz leads ETC Institute’s Systems Team, responsible for the development and maintenance of data collection, processing, analysis, mapping and visualization systems for the full spectrum of surveys offered by ETC, including web- and smartphone-based software.
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Senior Data Quality Manager
Jason Jones
Mr. Jones is ETC Institute's Senior Quality Data Manager. He has been with ETC Institute since 2010 in a variety of supervisor roles specializing in market research for governmental organizations in areas such as transportation, community planning, parks and recreation, business, and employee related studies.  Mr. Jones is responsible for data management in our Transportation Division, where he oversees the collection methodologically, the statistical analyses, and communication of project results. Mr. Jones also serves as a Data Visualization Specialist for the Community Division where he designs and manages ETC Institute’s DirectionFinder 2.0 Dashboard product line.
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