Mike Mallett
About this Executive:
Name:
Mike Mallett
Company:
Corporate Research International
Interview Topics:
Corporate and Professional Services
Region:
Region 3 - West Central Ohio
I really enjoyed my conversation with Mike Mallett, founder and CEO of Corporate Research International (CRI, located in Findlay, Ohio). CRI has been named two years in a row to the Inc. magazine's Inc. 500 list of the fastest growing private firms in the U.S. CRI provides consumer insight to clients through the effective use of mystery shoppers to collect data. CRI has a confidential client list that includes some of the top company names in America. CRI employs roughly 150 people at the headquarters operation and manages over 350,000 field representatives. It is no "mystery" why CRI has been successful when you read their capabilities presentation (www.mysteryshops.com). Mike believes he is a great example of Ohio's promise of work-life balance.
Q: Mike, the Ohio promise is "Balance Without Compromise." In Ohio, business success is delivered in the broader context of a fulfilling life. Or, as I like to say, you can achieve both your professional and personal aspirations without sacrificing one for the other. Has this been your experience as you've built the CRI business?
A: Good question. I am the "poster child" for this question. I live minutes from my office. I have a wonderful house in a great community with excellent schools for my children. Family life is extremely important to me. It is a personal priority to attend my kids' school and sporting events and support them as they grow. I also need to be successful in business so I can provide the quality of life I want for my family. Ohio offers me the opportunity to find that perfect balance that I could not conceive of finding in Washington D.C. where I was living before moving to Findlay. I would have missed a lot of things in my kids' lives if we had stayed there.
Q: Obviously CRI is very successful, but are you finding everything you need to continue growing your business in Ohio?
A: I really appreciate the business resources the state has available and the quality of labor CRI has access to. We are expanding rapidly. We have a need to fill high level IT positions, and we have no trouble finding the quality of talent required. Findlay is located right in the middle of Dayton, Columbus, Cleveland, and Toledo.
Q: How does Ohio help you achieve your personal aspirations?
A: When I lived in D.C., if I wanted to attend an event with my children, I would have to leave work early to beat the traffic and would still have a long commute home. It forced me to have to make a priority choice between my work and family. It was impossible to achieve an effective balance. You simply couldn't take that much time off from work and be successful. You don't have that problem anywhere in Ohio. I have family members who live in Columbus, and they are able to find a good work-life balance as well. In D.C., it took forever to get anywhere.