Why Peel

Market Researchers who think like Marketers

Market research vendors are often sound operationally but typically have limited experience as end-users of research and thus struggle to provide strategic insights.

Unlike most research firms, Peel was founded by corporate researchers with years of experience utilizing research to support the marketing process. In doing so, Peel uniquely bridges the disciplines of both client-side and supplier side research functions. This allows it to provide a long-term strategic perspective on every project with the know-how to execute flawlessly.

Three key characteristics of Peel help it provide these benefits:

We have a smart, experienced staff, a superior consultative approach, and unparalleled customer service. Our research provides actionable results with a high return on investment.

Our services help companies gain valuable insights into their business which leads to:

  • Reducing risk
  • Making smart marketing decisions
  • Uncovering hidden opportunities
  • Developing winning marketing strategies
  • Growing the bottom line

Research and Marketing Expertise

Peel Research Partners comprises market research leaders each with more than 25 years of experience across industries. Unlike many firms, we never use a bait-and-switch approach—handing your project off to junior staff after the sale. In fact, our founder, Rob Riester, is directly involved and often your primary point of contact, ensuring senior-level expertise every step of the way.

Experience doesn’t make us complacent—it drives our curiosity. At Peel, we are committed to ongoing learning in marketing science and behavioral psychology, ensuring our clients benefit from both proven expertise and fresh perspectives. We actively draw on frameworks such as Byron Sharp’s How Brands Grow and the behavioral economics research of Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky to guide our thinking and recommendations.

Consultative Approach

Unlike some firms that act like order takers, Peel associates take the time to truly understand a client’s business needs and is not afraid to ask tough questions.

Peel uses an in-depth approach with its clients at the onset of every project to identify the underlying business issues, the strategic objectives, and develop hypotheses to be tested in every study.

Peel never tries to force-fit an off-the-shelf solution when a custom approach is needed.

Unparalleled Customer Service

We care about your business as if it were our own. All our clients are “big fish” to us and we deeply value our relationships. We strive to make our client’s jobs easier. We’re small, approachable and flexible.

Who We Are

Our Key Players at Peel Research Partners

Comprising research leaders each with over 25 years of experience in a variety of industries. As a Peel client, you’ll work directly with one of these partners as your primary point of contact on every project.

Rob Riester

Founder—Partner

Peel Research Partners, Inc. was founded by Rob Riester in 2006. For roughly a decade, Rob worked as a client-side researcher for ConAgra Foods, Logitech, Taco Bell, and Avery Dennison. In his years managing research, he often found a lack of consultation and strategic thinking from his research vendors. Many were simply junior researchers with little experience, and those that were experienced were often career supplier-side researchers who didn’t have a sense for how the research would be used or how it fit into the big picture. Rob founded Peel Research to bridge the gap. Since Peel’s inception, Rob has helped a wide variety of companies effectively manage risk and make better business decisions.

Prior to his shift to primary research, Rob worked in the Analytic Consulting Group of Information Resources, Inc. Rob provided clients with analytic-driven methods to measure and improve marketing effectiveness for advertising, pricing, promotion, and in-store activities.

Rob holds Bachelors and Masters degrees in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from the University of California, Berkeley.

Leslie Brumlik

Research Operations & Solutions Architect—Partner

Leslie is the founder and President of Marketlab, Inc., Peel’s key strategic business partner of field operations for the past 10 years since its inception. Leslie is more than just a field partner, she brings over 20 years of research experience working across a wide range of industries including consumer products, banking, technology, food, and others, spanning both B-to-C and B-to-B. Aside from her field operations expertise, she is an expert at listening to customers’ business issues and crafting strategic, cost effective market research solutions. Leslie’s staff are all highly experienced and completely based in the U.S.

Leslie holds a bachelor’s degree from Syracuse University.

Ken Schwab

Analytics Research—Partner

Ken Schwab is the founder of KMS Analytics, Inc., a consulting practice with expertise in data mining, statistical / econometric modeling, marketing research, data management, reporting automation, sales forecasting, and operations research. With 30 years of experience, Ken is an expert practitioner of a variety of descriptive and predictive statistical techniques such as segmentation (cluster analysis), factor analysis, regression, optimization, etc, which are relevant for primary research studies as well as big data applications. Ken has a unique ability to distill massive amounts of data into key relationships, trends, and insights that can drive important business decisions.

Prior to starting his own practice in 2002, Ken held relevant positions at Encirq Corp, Hunt-Wesson, and Hughes Aircraft.

Ken has an M.S. in Operations Research from UCLA and a B.A. from Swarthmore College with a major in mathematics and minor in economics.

Tom Rich

Qualitative Research—Partner

Tom Rich is a highly respected qualitative research practitioner. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Qualitative Research Consultants Association (QRCA), and is a much sought after and frequent speaker at market research industry events. In addition, he frequently teaches master classes to improve the skills of experienced market research professionals.

Tom has over 25 years experience, including brand management at Nabisco and Unilever. Since establishing his company in 1996 he has executed hundreds of qualitative research, segmentation, positioning, branding, shopper insights, risk assessment, concept development and new product development projects in a broad variety of industries, conducting thousands of interviews, focus groups and online studies in that time.

Tom received his initial moderator training at The Burke Institute, has a degree in English from the University of Pennsylvania, and a Masters of Business Administration from the Amos Tuck School at Dartmouth College.