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Like you, this current crisis has required SIR to stretch our limbs and find innovative ways to help our clients manage both the urgent challenges and the long-term ramifications of COVID-19. What hasn’t changed in the face of this uncertain landscape we’re all navigating, however, is the importance of gaining strategic insights through research. With that in mind, this week we thought we’d share two best practices for conducting research during periods of disruption, and how to use research findings to move your business or organization forward.
It’s been more than a month since we began collaborating with and serving our clients remotely, and we’ve learned a lot about how to get the most out of virtual meetings and workshops. We’d like to share three of those best practices with you
Richmond Magzine | February 3, 2020
Between Richmond’s monuments and historical sites, it seems as if the city sometimes spends more time looking backward than forward. Not so for futurist John Martin, founder and CEO of SIR’s Institute for Tomorrow, where he analyzes demographic trends for municipalities and organizations to help them plan for the future. SIR is a strategic management consultancy that advises nonprofits, governmental agencies and Fortune 500 firms such as Dominion Energy.
Virginia Peninsula Chamber of Commerce | September 5, 2019
This is the first official release of the new VPCC Podcast, "Peninsula Biz Buzz." Hosted by Shelley Smith of Premier Rapport and Bob McKenna of the Peninsula Chamber, this first podcast features John Martin from SIR discussing the Hampton Roads Regional Branding Initiative, Envision 2020!
The Virginia Pilot and 13 News Now | September 10, 2019
As the Virginia Beach City Council gears up to find a new city manager, members have a large hurdle to clear before they can agree on hiring for the top job: Building trust. This is where SIR came in.
NACS Magazine | March 2018
Why do we do things the way we do them? Oftentimes, the reason is "we've always done it that way."
For decades, the rules of marketing tell us to identify and sell to a target audience. And for most c-store operators, that is defined as someone aged 16 to 34 years old. The same is true for the ideal worker. But is that the best approach to be taking today?
These days, many conversations we hear about diversity and inclusion in the workplace suggest that some managers think D&I stands for “difficult” and “internalized.” Many such leaders and managers struggle to talk about race, gender, and other aspects of diversity. And some think D&I means they should favor one group over another.
When we hear this line of thinking, our SIR experts usually find an absence of an organization-wide plan to make D&I a fundamental business strategy.
And that’s a mistake.
NACS Magazine | November 2017
EXCERPT: Those who fail to plan for tomorrow end up in the dustbins of history. Just ask Blockbuster. Or Borders. Or Radio Shack.
It’s time everyone in the convenience store category, big and small, got serious about tomorrow. The pressure is building as traffic is declining due to lower gallons of gas pumped and declining tobacco sales. Throw in the coming waves of electric vehicles and large, ubiquitous fleets of autonomous cars operated by the likes of Google and Uber, and we’ll see many “Blockbustered” convenience stores ahead.
Chesterfield Observer | October 27, 2017
While upscale new housing is taking over the more rural parts of western Chesterfield, beyond Woodlake and Ashbrook, a flood of retiring baby boomers is reconfiguring older suburban corridors. ...
'What’s happening is the move to the 15-minute community,' says John Martin, chief executive of SIR, a strategic marketing consultancy in Richmond. 'We’re looking for convenience in everything we do,' he adds, noting that boomers increasingly want to be able to walk or drive a short distance from their doctor’s office, nearby retail shops and restaurants.'
AirTalk on 89.3 KPCC | October 10, 2017
EXCERPT: Over the last several decades, pop culture has taken innumerable shots at depicting what the future of transportation looked like, whether it’s the pneumatic tubes that move people around as depicted in The Simpsons creator Matt Groening’s TV satire ‘Futurama,’ hovering skateboards like the ones in Back To The Future 2, flying cars from The Jetsons, or even teleportation as depicted in shows like Star Trek.
But how does getting from point A to point B realistically look in 50 or 100 years?
Convenience Store News | October 4, 2017
EXCERPT: Fortunately for industries, including the convenience and fuel retailing industry, millennials may very well possess many attributes that could wind up being a boon for the companies that have them in their employ. ...
Critical question for any employer today: Is at least a third of your workforce under age 35?
If not, you risk losing out, and big time. Millennials make up 1 in 3 workers in the modern labor force today — and that number is only going to get bigger. By 2025, Millennials will be nearly half the U.S. workforce.
This is one curve you don’t want to fall behind. Not having a healthy mix of Millennials in your organization in 2017 could be a sign that your workplace culture is not aligned with modern culture overall. And the consequences of such a misalignment could be severe.
Let’s investigate.
Richmond Times-Dispatch | July 29, 2017
In June, an Urban Land Institute study ranked Richmond second in the country for its percentage growth of Millennials from 2010 to 2015. The city’s Millennial population grew 14.9 percent — or by 5,176 people — during the five-year time frame.
Richmond’s increased appeal to young people was intentional, said John Martin, the CEO of SIR, a Richmond-based strategic consultancy. Programs have sprung to integrate young newcomers to the city, and businesses try to attract a new consumer and employee pool.
MCV Foundation trustees, staff, partners, and friends gathered for a board meeting and dinner on June 5 to celebrate the culmination of a remarkable year on the MCV campus. ...
New trustees who were voted onto the board are Farhad Aghdami, Richmond’s managing partner of Williams Mullen; Rachel Burgess, principal at SIR; Susan G. Kornstein, M.D., professor in the VCU School of Medicine and executive director of the VCU Institute for Women’s Health; and Spencer Williamson, CEO and president at kaléo….
Richmond Times-Dispatch | June 12, 2017
EXCERPT: The niche or boutique gym trend is being driven to a large degree by entrepreneurial millennials who are starting up boutique gyms and patronizing them.
“One of the things that we’ve learned about millennials is that they are incredibly community-focused,” said Rachel Burgess of Richmond-based research firm SIR.
“This community idea, I think, makes boutique gyms so appealing. They do a really incredible job of building a supportive community around a shared activity,” Burgess said.
The Roanoke Times | May 25, 2017
On Monday and Tuesday of this week, age was at the center of a conference held at the Hotel Roanoke. This was the second Governor’s Conference on Aging.
Several of the speakers challenged the audience to think differently about aging. Think for a moment about how old you feel. Put an age to it. Is it different from your actual age?
As Baby Boomers turn into what was once thought of as "elderly" they are changing the way people view and act as older adults, said John Martin of SIR, on the demography of aging.
Richmond Magazine | May 31, 2017
EXCERPT: Futurist John W. Martin travels the world, sharing what he and his Richmond-based associates at the Institute for Tomorrow have assessed about 2020 and beyond. Here are some trends that will affect the Richmond region.
The Richmond Times-Dispatch | May 13, 2017
EXCERPT: An outgrowth of one of the first ad agencies in America to have a full-service research arm, Southeastern Institute of Research’s influence has reached businesses, nonprofits, government agencies and cities across the nation, and globally.
In the 13th century, prophet Mevlana Rumi offered this timeless advice: Either be as you look, or look as you are. The Richmond-based, Southeastern Institute for Research is officially changing its name to SIR, following Rumi’s advice by transitioning to the name it has long been known by clients and friends.
If you’ve ever watched the hilariously awkward TV classic, “The Office,” then you probably remember the smattering of ironic corporate values posters like the one above. A key lesson from the sitcom’s dysfunctional leaders is that values mean nothing unless you actually believe and uphold them.
But what if there were a better way to define your values and to build an engaging workplace culture — where employees buy into, live out, and ultimately pay off your brand’s position and purpose in their day-to-day work?
Reams of think pieces on millennials — roughly defined as people born between 1981 and 2001 — paint a picture of a generation defined by its laziness, sense of entitlement, and yes, those oft-mentioned participation trophies…
Millennials are wired differently than previous generations, and businesses and workplace managers who understand those differences will be ahead of the game.
That’s the word from Matt Thornhill and John Martin, founders of GenerationsMatter, a practice of the Richmond-based Southeastern Institute of Research — the same marketing research and consulting firm that operates the Boomer Project, looking at the boomer population. ...
Back in early-March, it seemed difficult to imagine how organizations like ours, which rely so heavily on in-person interaction, would manage to stay connected not only with our clients, but internally as well. Of course, Zoom and other videoconferencing technology was around long before COVID-19, but this crisis has magnified its importance and helped us appreciate the simple beauty of seeing someone’s face to go along with their voice. Plus, now that we’ve had weeks to tinker and streamline, we’ve found our virtual meetings and workshops to be incredibly valuable and productive — to the point where we plan to keep using them post-COVID-19.