Riverside – Once again, Athena Research Group has been rated one of the top Focus Group facilities worldwide, and 2010 is the 3rd time they have won this prestigious award.
This award is given by the Impulse Research Corporation, a Los Angeles firm that provides quality ratings of focus group discussion and viewing facilities, based on a survey of over 5,000 moderators and researchers worldwide. In 2010, they were rated on recruiting, personnel & the service they provide, physical facility, location, food service, value and overall weight average of the above.
In 1999, Lynn Diamantopoulos started Athena Research Group to provide qualitative research, and to give her clients strategic insights to gain wisdom to make wise judgments. “Since Athena is the (Greek) goddess of strategic wisdom, and that is what market research should provide.” she said. “And since I married into a big Greek family … it felt like a perfect match.” Lynn is active in research communities and has been a board member of American Marketing Association-Inland Empire for several years; she currently serves as the membership chairperson.
Athena has been in business for 12 years, and they have 12 employees, with the average longevity of 9 years. She attributes this incredible retention rate and longtime loyalty to the fact that she treats her employees well, and they love what they do. She was especially proud of her team last year, as they won their award under extreme circumstances.
Not only has the economy been a hardship, but in May of 2010, their leader was diagnosed with cancer. Not only were they short-handed, but their owner/leader was battling cancer for 7 months out of that year, and their team still won the award! In fact, billing went up 20%! Diamantopoulos couldn’t be more proud of her team.
When asked how her team took the news of her cancer, Diamantopoulos said it all happened so fast. She found a lump April 26th, she was diagnosed May 5th, and her surgery was May 15th. Her team was scared for her and the company, but they rallied together and wanted to make her proud. Adding to all this, her husband, Craig Diamantopoulos, was diagnosed with cancer in July!
They are both in recovery now, and doing well, and she attributes this to all the support and prayer she received from her team at Athena and the entire community here in the Inland Empire.
Diamantopoulos said that the Inland Empire is a great place to have a Focus Group Facility, as national companies like the fact that economic journals repeatedly mention that the Inland Empire is a barometer of National sentiment. Athena has helped many large corporations find out more about their consumer, namely Nestle, Toyota, Proctor & Gamble and Dannon Yogurt, to name a few.
As a barometer of National sentiment, other interesting marketing facts about the Inland Empire:
- According to a study published by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research in 2008, Riverside County has the 4th highest rate of obesity in the nation.
- The Inland Empire is the 2nd largest market for full size trucks in the USA.
- More side-by-side refrigerators are purchased each year in the Inland Empire than in any other market.
Athena has also helped politicians keep their finger on the pulse of the people. As the Inland Empire is surveyed more regularly by political pundits than any other region of California due to the area’s reputation for voting the issues regardless of party affiliation.
Looking forward, Lynn Diamantopoulos is excited for the opportunity to serve her clients nationwide, here in the Inland Empire, and with her team, she is positioned to win many awards in the future.