Business Intelligence Companies & Consultants in Yigo, GU

Market Research & Development, Inc., commonly known as MR&D, is a Guam-based research and strategy firm that has worked across Guam and the wider Micronesian region for more than three and a half decades. Its founder and president, Jay Merrill, set up the company in 1984 as the island's first full-service agency for business and consumer research.

For organizations comparing Business Intelligence providers in the region, MR&D's main strength is primary research: it gathers original data from local consumers, businesses and stakeholders, analyzes it, and turns the findings into practical recommendations for planning and decision-making.

Who MR&D Serves

The firm's client base covers both the public and private sectors. Its work spans several sectors:

• Government agencies and policy bodies
• Tourism and hospitality organizations
• Healthcare providers
• Utilities
• Nonprofit organizations
• Private-sector companies

Qualitative and Quantitative Capabilities

On the qualitative side, MR&D runs moderated focus groups to explore how different customer segments view brands, services and messages. It also offers mystery shopping, in which trained evaluators assess physical, digital and service touchpoints against agreed standards. Remote one-on-one phone interviews let the team reach respondents spread across Guam, Micronesia and further afield.

Separate interviews with executives and industry stakeholders support feasibility studies, policy work and competitive analysis. The firm also runs structured concept tests, so clients can refine new products, services or campaigns before launch and reduce the risk of a poor fit with the market.

For quantitative work, the company writes custom questionnaires designed to avoid bias and fields them online, by phone or through intercepts. Data can be collected with computer-assisted telephone (CATI), in-person (CAPI) or web (CAWI) methods, either alone or combined, depending on the audience. Analysts process the results with statistical methods and software such as SPSS and present them in formats that non-specialists can easily use.

From Findings to Strategy

MR&D's work does not stop at data collection. It offers marketing consulting based on survey results, helping clients spot opportunities and sharpen their messaging. It also provides research-based strategic planning and runs facilitated workshops and stakeholder sessions to help groups agree on priorities. Each engagement starts with a close review of the client's brand, goals and objectives, and the team then designs a research and planning approach for that specific situation rather than using a standard package.

What Sets the Firm Apart

The firm's long presence in the region gives it established community connections. It also maintains its own paid research network of local residents who volunteer for surveys, focus groups and interviews under confidentiality protections. This network helps MR&D recruit qualified participants among both consumers and businesses.

The company's stated values include data ethics, privacy protection, accountability and transparency, along with a commitment to contributing to communities across the Western Pacific. Its stated mission is to help organizations make decisions that reflect the needs of the people of Micronesia.