RRU Research
RRU Research is a family-owned, New York-based qualitative market research recruiting firm founded in 1975, providing professional participant recruiting, project management, transcription, and simultaneous interpretation services to enterprise clients across consumer goods, financial services, technology, pharmaceutical, and media verticals.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1975
- HeadquartersNew York, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What RRU Research does
RRU Research (legal name Recruiting Resources Unlimited LLC) is a privately-held, family-owned qualitative market research recruiting firm founded in 1975 by Connie Livia and headquartered in East Quogue, New York, with a staff of 11-50. The company provides professional research recruiting, project management, transcription, screener development, simultaneous interpretation, usability lab coordination, ad design and placement, moderation, and digital video/audio recording services to enterprise market research buyers across the United States and Europe. Its core asset is an extensive proprietary respondent database spanning medical professionals, patients, caregivers, business and financial professionals, C-level executives, IT professionals, value-added resellers, systems integrators, software developers, and technology end-users, supplemented by a self-serve respondent registration portal.
RRU Research does not operate a proprietary technology platform; its competitive position rests on human-led screening rigor, a 100-plus year cumulative recruiter experience base, and five decades of relationship continuity with named enterprise clients across luxury, beauty, financial services, technology, pharmaceutical, consumer goods, media, insurance, and restaurant verticals. Service delivery follows a holistic, boutique project management model anchored in face-to-face client engagement by the President and CFO rather than productized self-serve workflows.
The firm monetizes through quote-based professional services engagements tailored to each project scope, distributed via direct relationship-based sales. Marketing is anchored on content (the "In Focus" blog), organic social channels, and email newsletters. The company is family-controlled across three Livia generations, with no disclosed external funding, parent company, subsidiaries, M&A activity, or institutional shareholders, and no patents, regulatory actions, or restructuring events recorded.
RRU Research firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- RRU Research
- Legal name
- Recruiting Resources Unlimited LLC
- Website
- https://rruresearch.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1975
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- RRU Research is a family-owned, New York-based qualitative market research recruiting firm founded in 1975, providing professional participant recruiting, project management, transcription, and simultaneous interpretation services to enterprise clients across consumer goods, financial services, technology, pharmaceutical, and media verticals.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
RRU Research industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Qualitative Market Research Recruiting Services
- NAICS
- Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)
- SIC
- Services-Advertising (7310)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services (BPAHALAJ)
Keywords
Where RRU Research is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- New York
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
RRU Research business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Research Recruiting Services: RRU Research generates revenue through professional research recruiting services, including project management, professional and consumer recruiting, medical and executive recruiting, multi-language recruiting, transcription services, usability lab coordination, and related consulting services. The company operates on a quote-based pricing model for these professional services.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Other | — | Custom project-based pricing |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels7 records
RRU Research product offering
Product offeringCore offering
RRU Research is a qualitative market research recruiting firm providing professional participant recruitment for focus groups, individual interviews, telephone interviews, online panel discussions, mock juries, music tests, ethnographies, and taste testing. Its offering combines project management, rigorous candidate screening, multi-language recruiting, transcription with 24-hour turnaround, simultaneous interpretation, moderator services, usability lab coordination, ad design and placement, screener development, and access to an extensive respondent database of professionals and consumers. Services are delivered through direct, relationship-based engagement with enterprise clients and supported by a self-serve Respondent Registration Portal.
Product overview
RRU Research operates as a qualitative market research firm providing comprehensive recruiting and research services since 1975. Their core offering consists of professional research recruiting supported by integrated services including Project Management, Digital Video & Audio Recordings, Usability Labs, and Transcription Services. Specialty offerings include Medical & Executive Recruiting, Multi-language Recruiting & Translations, Screener Development, and Moderators. The company maintains an extensive Respondent Database and offers a Respondent Registration Portal for participant management. Services span focus groups, individual interviews, telephone interviews, online panel discussions, mock juries, ethnographies, and taste testing.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Project Management Holistic project management for qualitative market research engagements, ensuring alignment with client business objectives from initial contact through project completion, with attentive, high-touch service.
- Professional Research Recruiting Recruiting services for focus groups, individual interviews, telephone interviews, online panel discussions, mock juries, music tests, ethnographies, and taste testing, with rigorous candidate screening against project specifications.
- Medical & Executive Recruiting Specialized recruiting for medical professionals, patients, caregivers, C-level executives, and decision makers requiring verified credentials and targeted sourcing.
- Multi-language Recruiting & Translations Recruitment and translation services supporting multiple languages for international qualitative research projects.
- Digital Video & Audio Recordings State-of-the-art digital video and audio recording in partner facility rooms, enabling capture of qualitative research sessions.
- Usability Labs Partner usability labs equipped with laptops and observation setups for usability testing, experience evaluation, and related studies.
- Transcription Services Session transcription with typically 24-hour turnaround, with the option of on-site note-takers for real-time coverage.
- Simultaneous Interpretation Real-time simultaneous interpretation services for multilingual qualitative research sessions.
- Screener Development Development of participant screening instruments (screeners) designed to qualify appropriate research participants for qualitative studies.
- Moderators Professional focus group moderation services that facilitate research discussions and extract consumer insights.
- Hosts / In-Room Assistants Professional on-site support personnel who assist with focus group facilitation and the smooth running of research sessions.
- Ad Design and Placement Creative design and strategic placement of recruitment advertisements across multiple channels to attract qualified participants.
- Email List Blasting Mass email distribution service used as part of participant recruitment campaigns for qualitative research.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 100 years of combined recruiting experience across team
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use RRU Research
Customer profileNamed customers30 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
RRU Research technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
RRU Research partnerships and signals
Strategic signalScale indicators2 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights4 records
RRU Research competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Fieldwork Inc. Fieldwork is a long-established qualitative market research recruiting and focus-group facility operator with multiple US offices. It directly competes with RRU for the same enterprise research buyers and executes the same recruiting-plus-facility project model.
- L&E Research: L&E Research operates focus group facilities and provides qualitative recruiting across the US. It is a direct competitor to RRU in the same project-based qualitative recruitment delivery model.
- Shugoll Research: Shugoll Research is a qualitative market research firm offering recruiting, focus group hosting, and analysis services. It competes for similar brand-side clients and mirrors RRU's boutique, high-touch service positioning.
- Plaza Research: Plaza Research is a national network of focus group facilities and qualitative recruiting services, directly overlapping with RRU's recruitment and facility-coordination capabilities.
- Observation Baltimore: Observation Baltimore is a qualitative research firm offering recruiting, focus group hosting, and ethnographic services. It is comparable to RRU in scope and target buyer.
- Drive Research: Drive Research is a market research firm offering qualitative and quantitative services including recruiting. It is comparable to RRU in mid-market research delivery, though it leans more into mixed methods.
- Schlesinger Group: Schlesinger Group is a long-standing qualitative fieldwork and panel firm serving enterprise clients globally. It is a scaled direct competitor to RRU in qualitative recruiting with overlapping Fortune-class client rosters.
Broad incumbents
- Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market research leader with a dedicated qualitative and fieldwork practice. It overlaps with RRU at the enterprise qualitative recruiting layer but operates at much broader scale and across analytics and syndicated research.
- Toluna: Toluna operates a global online panel and research technology platform serving many of the same brand-side buyers as RRU. It overlaps via technology-enabled panel access rather than boutique qualitative recruiting.
- Dynata: Dynata is one of the world's largest first-party data and research panel companies. It competes for enterprise research budgets that historically went to qualitative recruiters like RRU, particularly as automated panel access displaces traditional fieldwork.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
RRU Research social profiles
Digital presenceRRU Research financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
RRU Research leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles6 records
RRU Research funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
RRU Research M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about RRU Research
What does RRU Research do?
RRU Research is a qualitative market research recruiting firm providing professional participant recruitment for focus groups, individual interviews, telephone interviews, online panel discussions, mock juries, music tests, ethnographies, and taste testing. Its offering combines project management, rigorous candidate screening, multi-language recruiting, transcription with 24-hour turnaround, simultaneous interpretation, moderator services, usability lab coordination, ad design and placement, screener development, and access to an extensive respondent database of professionals and consumers. Services are delivered through direct, relationship-based engagement with enterprise clients and supported by a self-serve Respondent Registration Portal.
Is RRU Research a public or private company?
RRU Research is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was RRU Research founded?
RRU Research was founded in 1975. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is RRU Research based?
RRU Research is headquartered in New York, United States, in the North America region.
How does RRU Research make money?
One revenue line is on record: research Recruiting Services.
Who are RRU Research's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Fieldwork Inc., L&E Research, Shugoll Research, Plaza Research, Observation Baltimore, Drive Research and Schlesinger Group. Broad incumbents are Ipsos, Toluna and Dynata.
Does RRU Research have an API?
No public API is recorded for RRU Research.
What industry is RRU Research in?
RRU Research's product category is Qualitative Market Research Recruiting Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPAHALAJ, Survey, Panel & Fieldwork Services. Its NAICS code is 541910 and its SIC code is 7310.