What Good Run Research & Recreation does

Good Run Research & Recreation (GRRR) is a privately held, founder-led consumer market research firm headquartered at 4116 W. Broad St., Richmond, Virginia, founded in 2010 by CEO Stacy Thomas. The firm delivers custom qualitative and quantitative research solutions — including focus groups, in-depth interviews, shop-alongs, and unconventional methods such as Closet Catwalks and in-home sleepovers — to brands seeking to build presence or maintain consumer relevance. Its service portfolio spans traditional market research methodologies alongside proprietary rapid-turn offerings (Field Day, FlashQual) and a national participant panel (Superstar Community).

The firm's core technology is methodological rather than software-based: a nearly 6,000 sq. ft. dedicated research and event facility called The Rec Room (opened January 2017) provides state-of-the-art AV, high-bandwidth WiFi, viewing rooms, and flexible configurations supporting both focus groups and event rentals. Recruitment runs through the Superstar Community, a national panel of demographically diverse consumers engaged via online application and invited to in-person sessions, shop-alongs, and mobile diary studies. Field Day collects up to 150 consumer responses in a single day with results delivered within 5 days; FlashQual delivers insights in as little as 3 days.

Revenue is generated on a project-based, custom-quoted professional services model across at least seven verticals — media/communications (Spectrum), fashion/retail, automotive, furniture, fast food, food/consumer goods, and non-profit — with a separate facility rental stream for external corporate events. GTM is sales-led (direct proposals and referrals) supplemented by community-led participant recruitment and event-driven engagement through quarterly Field Days and venue marketing. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and contracts are multi-year; the firm holds SBE, WOSB (SBA), and WBENC certifications enabling access to set-aside procurement. The firm employs 11–50 people and reports no institutional investors, parent company, or funding rounds.

Name

Good Run Research & Recreation

Legal name

Good Run Research & Recreation

Website

https://goodrunresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2010

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Good Run Research & Recreation is a privately held, Richmond, Virginia-based consumer market research firm founded in 2010 that delivers custom qualitative and quantitative research — including focus groups, shop-alongs, and rapid-turn offerings — to enterprise brands and non-profits across multiple verticals, anchored by its proprietary Rec Room facility and Superstar Community panel.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (54191)

akta.pro primary industry

Custom Market Research (Ad Hoc Studies, Segmentation, U&A) (MPAAALAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Qualitative Research (Focus Groups, IDIs, Ethnography) (MPAAALAE), Market Research & Consumer Insights (BPAHALAA)

Keywords

• Consumer market research
• Qualitative research services
• Quantitative research services
• Focus group research
• Brand development research

Headquarters

HQ city

Richmond

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Custom Market Research Projects: Project-based custom qualitative and quantitative research services for brands. Projects are customized based on learning objectives and budget, ranging from traditional focus groups and IDIs to innovative approaches like closet catwalks, shop-alongs, and sleepovers.
2. The Rec Room Facility Rental: Rental of research and event space to outside groups for surveys, events, off-site meetings, or retreats. Nearly 6000 sq. ft. facility with flexible configurations for 6 to 100 people.
3. Field Day Omnibus: Quarterly live-action qualitative omnibus events. Clients sign up for specific dates and receive responses from up to 150 consumers with topline report delivered in 5 days or less.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Good Run Research & Recreation is a consumer market research firm that delivers custom qualitative and quantitative research services to brands. Offerings span traditional focus groups and in-depth interviews to innovative methods like Closet Catwalks, shop-alongs, sleepovers, FlashQual (3-day insights), and the Field Day qualitative omnibus (up to 150 consumer responses in a single day, delivered in 5 days). The firm operates The Rec Room, a nearly 6,000 sq. ft. research and event facility in Richmond, VA, and recruits participants through its national Superstar Community of engaged consumers.

Product overview

Good Run Research & Recreation is a consumer market research firm founded in 2010, offering a portfolio of research products and services centered around custom qualitative and quantitative consumer research solutions. Its core offerings include The Rec Room (a proprietary 6,000 sq. ft. research and event facility in Richmond, VA), Field Day (a rapid qualitative omnibus delivering results within 5 days), and the Superstar Community (a national panel of engaged research participants). Research methodologies range from traditional focus groups and in-depth interviews to unconventional approaches such as closet catwalks, shop-alongs, and in-home sessions. All solutions are customized to client learning objectives and budget.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• The Rec Room: A first-of-its-kind research and event space facility opened in January 2017, combining traditional focus group capabilities with a casual, comfortable environment. Features include flexible configuration, state-of-the-art AV with live video streaming, high bandwidth Wi-Fi, a bar area, meeting rooms, and a modern open aesthetic. Nearly 6,000 sq. ft. Available for research projects, corporate meetings, and events.

Products and services

• Custom Qualitative Research Custom qualitative research services for brands, including traditional focus groups and in-depth interviews as well as unconventional methods such as sleepovers, closet catwalks, shop-alongs, and bug-centered snack-alongs. Designed to fit each client's specific research challenge.
• Custom Quantitative Research Custom quantitative research solutions covering concept testing, new product innovation, path to purchase, shopper research, targeting and segmentation, communication/messaging development and testing, usability testing, go-to-market studies, channel strategy, and brand development for consumer-facing brands.
• The Rec Room A nearly 6,000 sq. ft. first-of-its-kind research and event facility in midtown Richmond, VA, combining traditional focus group capabilities with a casual, comfortable environment. Features state-of-the-art AV, live video streaming, flexible configurations for 6 to 100 people, high-bandwidth Wi-Fi, a bar/bistro area, meeting rooms, and viewing rooms for focus group observation. Available for GRRR research projects and rental to outside groups for corporate meetings, events, off-sites, and retreats.
• Field Day A live-action, qualitative omnibus research product held quarterly at The Rec Room, collecting responses from up to 150 general market consumers in a single day and delivering a robust topline report within 5 days. Available methodologies include survey, try-and-tell, and video confessional, with custom methodology options. Includes a dedicated non-profit track for 501(c)(3) organizations.
• Superstar Community A national community of demographically diverse, highly engaged consumers who participate in GRRR research studies, including in-person focus groups at The Rec Room, shop-alongs, and online mobile app studies with daily diary entries covering a variety of products and services.

Quantifiable outcome

• Up to 150 consumer responses collected in single day via Field Day
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Visit Richmond VAminorOthers · 1 February 2020The Rec Room is listed on Visit Richmond VA as a business meeting and event venue. This is a tourism/marketing listing rather than a formal partnership agreement.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Schlesinger Group: One of the largest qualitative market research companies globally, operating focus group facilities, proprietary panels, and IDIs across consumer categories — directly comparable to GRRR's focus group / IDI / online community offerings, just at far greater scale.
• Fieldwork Network: Network of owned focus group facilities and project-management offices across the U.S., offering qualitative recruitment and facility rental services — directly comparable to The Rec Room + Superstar Community model, at multi-market scale.
• Civicom Marketing Research Services: Specialist in qualitative research support including online focus groups, IDIs, and respondent recruitment — comparable to GRRR's qualitative services + community recruitment stack.
• Toluna: Operates a global consumer panel plus qualitative and quantitative research services — overlaps with GRRR's Superstar Community and mixed-methodology custom research offering.
• Fuel Cycle: Insights community platform powering consumer panels and qualitative research for brands — overlaps directly with GRRR's owned-community approach to panel recruitment and engagement.
• Savanta: Full-service market research firm with strong qualitative and custom research practices serving brands — comparable in offering mix (custom qual/quant, brand and communications research) to GRRR.

Broad incumbents

• Ipsos: Global market research leader with deep qualitative, quantitative, and brand-tracking capabilities — competes with GRRR for brand research budgets but operates at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.
• Kantar: World's largest marketing data and analytics company offering consumer insights, brand research, and qualitative services — a broad incumbent competing for the same brand-research RFPs GRRR targets.

Emerging players

• Discuss.io: Tech-led qualitative research platform enabling brands to run live focus groups and IDIs with consumer panels remotely — comparable on the online-qual / community-recruitment axes, with a self-serve SaaS angle GRRR does not offer.
• Prodege: Consumer insights and rewards-based panel operator (Swagbucks, MyPoints) providing qualitative and quantitative research services — comparable to GRRR's community-led recruitment model, though at much larger consumer scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/goodrunresearch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/good-run-research-&-recreation/about
• Instagraminstagram.com/goodrunresearch
• Xx.com/GoodRunResearch

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Good Run Research & Recreation