MRI was initially a moonlighting activity for an ambitious college professor but quickly grew to a full-service research company demanding the full attention of its founder, Dr. Verne R. Kennedy. In 1986, Dr. Kennedy left higher education to devote full attention to the research firm. Since then, Dr. Kennedy has gained national recognition in both marketing research and higher education.   A native of New Orleans, he completed his Ph.D. degree at Louisiana State University in 1968 and post-doctoral studies at the University of Wisconsin in 1973. Dr. Kennedy held faculty positions at the University of Georgia, the University of South Alabama, and Louisiana College, before accepting the presidency of Belhaven College in 1978.

Over The Years

MRI expanded its record for winning political campaigns to encompass research services for a wide range of businesses and industries. For MRI, politics served as a laboratory in which to demonstrate how effective research produces winning marketing strategies. Many of the company's proprietary research procedures were initially developed in the political arena and have been expanded to serve a growing business client base. Today, the company's research is about equally divided between politics and business.

Since its Beginning

MRI's growth to a leader in the industry has been due to three important factors - satisfied clients, accurate results, and innovative technologies. Historically, the company's growth and ever-increasing client base have come through referrals from satisfied customers. Accurate results have always been a hallmark of MRI work. Innovative technology, particularly through demographic targeting studies, has accelerated company expansion in recent years.