Mackay Research Group

What Mackay Research Group does

Mackay Research Group is a privately held professional services firm headquartered in Boulder, Colorado, that provides industry-specific benchmarking and analytical services to trade associations and their affiliated small to mid-size member companies. The firm's stated objective is to help its clients achieve "robust profitability and financial security" through comparative financial, compensation, and operational performance analysis. Its primary customer segment is vertical — trade associations and affiliated organizations — with a focus on companies too small to engage large-scale benchmarking firms.

The company's product portfolio consists of four recurring analytical services: Financial Performance Studies (income statement, balance sheet, and key financial ratio benchmarking), Compensation Studies (salary, wage, commission, and fringe benefit data across executive, managerial, and plant employees), Seminars (customized educational programs linking management actions to profitability), and Operating Metrics Surveys (industry profile and best-practice operational benchmarking). The underlying technology is conventional benchmarking methodology — data collection, aggregation, and comparative reporting — with no disclosed proprietary software platform, APIs, mobile applications, or third-party integrations. Marketing materials are distributed through a legacy web presence and a downloadable PDF brochure (originally created in 2004, last revised in 2010).

Mackay operates a sales-led, B2B go-to-market model in which trade associations act as the primary distribution channel. The firm engages directly with associations, which then provide Mackay's research to their member companies as part of membership benefits. Revenue is generated through subscription-style, recurring analytical engagements, priced on a quote basis tailored to each client. The geographic scope is regional, the firm is privately held with no disclosed investors or parent company, and there is no evidence of funding rounds, M&A activity, leadership changes, or recent product launches in the input data.

Name

Mackay Research Group

Legal name

Mackay Research Group

Website

https://mackayresearchgroup.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Mackay Research Group is a Boulder, Colorado-based consulting firm that delivers subscription-based financial benchmarking, compensation studies, operating metrics surveys, and seminars to trade associations and their small to mid-size member companies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Market Research & Benchmarking Services

NAICS

Management Consulting Services (54161), Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Industry & Sector Research (Syndicated/Custom) (BPAHALAE)

Keywords

• Financial benchmarking services
• Compensation benchmarking studies
• Industry operating metrics
• Trade association research
• Profitability consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Boulder

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Research and Benchmarking Services: Mackay Research Group generates revenue by providing subscription-based analytical services to trade associations and their member companies, including financial performance studies, compensation studies, and operating metrics surveys.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Mackay Research Group provides subscription-based analytical services—including financial performance benchmarking, compensation studies, operating metrics surveys, and tailored seminars—primarily to trade associations and affiliated organizations. Their core activity is collecting and benchmarking financial, compensation, and operational data across industry participants so member companies can compare themselves to relevant profit and operational targets.

Product overview

Mackay Research Group offers a suite of four analytical service products designed to help small to mid-size companies achieve robust profitability and financial security. The core portfolio includes Financial Performance Studies (for benchmarking financial metrics against industry targets), Compensation Studies (for employee compensation data), Seminars (educational programs on profitability), and Operating Metrics Surveys (industry profile benchmarking). These products are primarily targeted at trade associations and affiliated organizations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Financial Performance Studies Collects financial data that lets participants compare themselves to relevant profit and operational targets in their industry, including income statement, balance sheet and key financial ratios. Intended for trade associations and their member companies in small to mid-size markets.
• Compensation Studies Compiles timely information on employee compensation programs, including wages, salaries, commission plans, and fringe benefits for executive, managerial and/or plant employees. Used by trade associations to benchmark compensation within their industry.
• Seminars Customized educational programs designed to provide practical, action-oriented concepts showing how specific management actions impact profitability, for trade association members and affiliated organizations.
• Operating Metrics Surveys Industry profile surveys providing valuable insight into best practice operating performance, giving a comprehensive understanding of critical operational areas of management within an industry. Targeted at trade associations and their member companies.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Recent moves3 records

Broad incumbents

• Mercer: Mercer provides broad compensation, benefits, and workforce research for large enterprises; it overlaps with Mackay's compensation studies but at a much larger scale and primarily enterprise customer base.
• Deloitte: Deloitte's Human Capital practice provides large-scale compensation benchmarking and operational performance studies for major employers, representing a broad incumbent alternative that competes for the same end-buyer use case at the enterprise tier.
• Korn Ferry: Korn Ferry's pay and HR analytics division offers industry compensation benchmarking that overlaps with Mackay's Compensation Studies, though Korn Ferry is a much larger incumbent serving broader markets.
• Willis Towers Watson (WTW): WTW is a global incumbent offering large-scale compensation benchmarking and workforce analytics; it competes in compensation studies but does not focus on the small-to-mid-size trade association member segment that Mackay serves.

Emerging players

• Salary.com: Salary.com offers SaaS-based compensation data and benchmarking tools, representing a technology-enabled competitor to Mackay's manual compensation studies; an emerging player that could disrupt the niche.
• FMI Corporation: FMI provides industry benchmarking, compensation surveys, and management consulting for construction and built-environment associations — directly comparable to Mackay's association-based benchmarking model but specialized in the construction vertical.

Direct peers

• Association Research Inc. Association Research Inc. conducts industry-specific benchmarking studies and member surveys for trade associations, closely paralleling Mackay's financial performance, compensation, and operating metrics products.
• Readex Research: Readex Research specializes in survey-based research for associations and member organizations, including compensation and operational benchmarking, making it one of the closest direct competitors in the association benchmarking niche.
• Industry Insights: Industry Insights is a long-standing provider of financial benchmarking, compensation studies, and operational surveys to trade associations — directly overlapping Mackay Research Group's core product suite and association-based GTM motion.
• McKinley Advisors: McKinley Advisors provides research, benchmarking, and strategic advisory services tailored to associations and member-based organizations — directly comparable to Mackay's association-focused research and educational services.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mackay-research-group

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Mackay Research Group