What Trone Research and Consulting does

Trone Research and Consulting (TRC) is a privately held, North Carolina-based market research and consulting firm that provides custom and syndicated research, proprietary methodology services, and senior advisory engagements to clients primarily in animal health and pet care, with secondary exposure to hospitality, telecom, and life sciences. Founded in 2015 as a spin-off from Trone (a 40-year-old full-service marketing agency with 20 years of animal health experience), TRC operates with 1-10 employees from High Point, NC and was most recently reorganized via an August 2025 joint venture with Brakke Consulting.

The firm's product portfolio spans custom research services, syndicated multi-client studies (Sales Force Effectiveness Study, Cancer in Dogs and Cats, Flea Control and Heartworm Markets, Pain Management Products, Equine Mega Study, Pet Medicines Home Delivery, Field Sales Force Census), proprietary services including Propelligence® market potential assessment (developed with Scullion Strategy Group) and Sales Pitch Effectiveness Testing, plus a TRC Consultancy Team of senior petcare advisors. Underlying technical capability rests on multivariate statistical methods, predictive modeling, customer segmentation, and conjoint analysis executed in SAS, SPSS, and R, supported by proprietary in-house panels: 20,000 consumer households, 12,000 pet owner households, and approximately 5,000 veterinarians (the largest US veterinary panel post-Brakke JV).

TRC generates revenue through project-based professional services engagements, syndicated report sales, and consulting retainers with enterprise clients including Zoetis, Boehringer Ingelheim, Mars Petcare, Elanco, Merck, Heska, VCA, Royal Canin, Ceva, and Nationwide. Distribution is sales-led and direct, supplemented by industry conference presence (AAHA, Global Pet Expo, Fetch/dvm360, AVMA, NY Vet), content marketing via case studies and blog content, referrals from the Brakke JV and Scullion Strategy Group partnerships, and association affiliations across the veterinary and pet industries.

Name

Trone Research and Consulting

Legal name

Trone Research and Consulting, LLC

Website

https://troneresearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Trone Research and Consulting is a privately held market research and consulting firm providing custom research, syndicated reports, and proprietary services like Propelligence® to animal health, pet care, life sciences, and select consumer industry clients, leveraging proprietary panels and a senior consulting team.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Animal Health Market Research Services

NAICS

Marketing Research and Public Opinion Polling (541910)

akta.pro primary industry

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

Keywords

• Animal health market research
• Pet care research
• Syndicated research reports
• Market potential assessment
• Strategic consulting services

Headquarters

HQ city

High Point

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Custom Research Services: Tailored market research engagements designed around specific client business goals and challenges. Revenue generated on a project basis, typically one-time or annual retainer engagements with animal health, pet care, and life science companies.
2. Syndicated Research / Multi-Client Studies: Pre-packaged industry reports and benchmarking studies sold to multiple clients across the animal health and pet care industries. Reports include Sales Force Effectiveness Study, Cancer in Dogs and Cats, Flea Control and Heartworm Markets, Pain Management Products, and Equine Mega Study. Revenue generated through report purchases and subscriptions.
3. Consulting Engagements: Senior advisor and consultancy services in petcare and animal health, including product development, market analysis, business development, capital/investor pitch preparation, distribution partnerships, marketing strategy, leadership coaching, and operational efficiency consulting. Billed on a project or retainer basis.
4. Propelligence® Market Potential Service: Proprietary service for assessing new product market potential using a 4-stage simulation model, offered in partnership with Scullion Strategy Group. Sold as a standalone consulting/assessment engagement to animal health and life science companies.
5. Sales Pitch Effectiveness Testing: Proprietary service allowing clients to test sales pitch effectiveness before presenting to their audience. Revenue generated as a separate service engagement.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Trone Research and Consulting (TRC) is a specialist B2B market research and consulting firm that designs custom research, delivers syndicated multi-client industry studies, runs proprietary panel-based surveys, and provides strategic consulting for the animal health, pet care, and life sciences sectors. Offerings include the Propelligence® market potential assessment, sales pitch effectiveness testing, brand health auditing, and a PhD-led consultancy team built for enterprise animal health buyers.

Product overview

Trone Research and Consulting (TRC) is a global market research and consulting firm offering a comprehensive portfolio of research and analytics services. The core offering includes Custom Research Services and Syndicated Research Services, supplemented by proprietary services such as Propelligence® (a market potential assessment tool developed with Scullion Strategy Group), Sales Pitch Effectiveness Testing, and Multi-Client Studies for the animal health and petcare industries. The company provides specialized consulting through its TRC Consultancy Team of senior petcare advisors. Research capabilities span qualitative and quantitative methodologies, advanced analytics (including predictive modeling using SAS, SPSS, and R), and proprietary survey panels (Opinions At Trone) with 20,000 consumer, 12,000 pet owner, and 5,000 veterinarian respondents. TRC also produces syndicated industry reports including Sales Force Effectiveness Studies, therapeutic market reports (Cancer, Pain Management, Flea/Heartworm), and Equine Mega Studies. Following a 2025 joint venture with Brakke Consulting, TRC now offers combined custom and multi-client research with access to the largest veterinary panel in the United States.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Custom Research Services Bespoke market research engagements designed for animal health, pet care, and life sciences companies wanting studies tailored to specific product, brand, segmentation, or strategy questions. Methodologies include qualitative research, quantitative research, advanced analytics, multivariate modeling, predictive modeling, and conjoint analysis.
• Syndicated Multi-Client Industry Studies Subscription-based, multi-client industry research reports that subscribers purchase to track markets, categories, and trends in animal health and pet care. Example published studies include the Sales Force Effectiveness Study and the Cancer in Dogs and Cats Report.
• Propelligence® Market Potential Assessment Proprietary market potential assessment service built on the Propelligence® methodology (registered trademark of Scullion Strategy Group), quantifying market opportunity and growth levers. Delivered exclusively via TRC's partnership with Scullion Strategy Group, with TRC's PhD-led team conducting the analysis.
• Sales Pitch Effectiveness Testing Standalone service that tests and analyzes the effectiveness of sales pitch messaging and presentations, delivered through TRC's proprietary panel of veterinarians and related animal health professionals with real-time testing and analysis.
• TRC Consultancy Team (Strategic Consulting) Strategic consulting offering in animal health and pet care, staffed by TRC's PhD-led team and now jointly delivered with Brakke Consulting following the August 2025 joint venture. Provides advisory services including brand health auditing, prospect and customer optimization, marketing claims validation, market potential evaluation, channel needs assessment, and attrition/retention optimization.

Quantifiable outcome

• Brand resuscitation case study: 15% growth in veterinary recommendations by year one, followed by 6% continued growth the following year
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Brakke ConsultingcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 August 2025Brakke Consulting (founded 40 years ago by Ron Brakke) and TRC announced a strategic combination of their market research businesses effective August 22, 2025, forming a joint venture operating under the Trone Research and Consulting name. Brakke will continue offering consulting, transactions, and recruiting services while TRC handles market research. The joint venture combines Brakke's multi-client studies with TRC's custom research and advanced analytics, creating access to the largest veterinary panel in the US. The two companies have maintained a decade-long partnership beginning with the Pet Pharmaceuticals Market Shift Study in 2015.
• Scullion Strategy Group (SSG)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 25 June 2020Exclusive partnership to bring Propelligence® to the animal health and life science industries. SSG develops and launches new innovations into animal health markets while TRC provides custom research and analytics. Together they have collectively worked on nearly 50 brand launches. Propelligence uses a 4-stage proprietary methodology and simulation model to assess product market potential.
• AAHA (American Animal Hospital Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTRC has an affiliation with AAHA as an industry partner. Leadership team members have served on AAHA's Board of Directors and Board Vice President. AAHA is listed as an affiliation and partner on TRC's category experience page.
• AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerTRC is affiliated with AVMA through Dr. Wendy Hauser's service on the AVMA Veterinary Economics Strategy Committee and as AAHA Delegate to the AVMA House of Delegates (2016–2023). Research published in JAVMA, the AVMA journal.
• VetPartnersminorGTM or Marketing PartnerDebbie Boone, a TRC Consultancy Team member, served as the 2022 President of VetPartners (the Association of Consultants and Advisors). This veterinary consulting industry association provides networking and referral opportunities.
• Global Pet ExpominorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an affiliation/partner on TRC's category experience page. Kimberly Ness has been a featured speaker at Global Pet Expo, one of the largest pet industry trade events.
• APPA (American Pet Products Association)minorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an affiliation on TRC's category experience page. APPA is a major pet industry association representing manufacturers and retailers.
• dvm360 / Fetch ConferenceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an affiliation on TRC's category experience page. TRC team members (Kimberly Ness) are featured speakers at Fetch, a dvm360 conference, and content has been published in DVM360 and Today's Veterinary Business.
• Insights AssociationminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an affiliation/partner on TRC's about page. The Insights Association is a professional association for market and social research professionals, providing industry credibility and standards alignment.
• Ignite Veterinary SolutionsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an affiliation/partner on TRC's about page. Ignite Veterinary Solutions is a veterinary industry services provider that complements TRC's consulting services.
• LifeLearnminorGTM or Marketing PartnerListed as an industry experience partner. Dr. David Goodnight is currently EVP of Business Development for LifeLearn, Inc. LifeLearn provides digital education and communication tools for veterinary practices.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Mintel: Mintel provides syndicated market research, consumer intelligence, and product and brand analysis. It overlaps with TRC's market-potential work and petcare reports, though Mintel covers many more consumer categories globally.
• Ipsos: Ipsos is a global market-research company providing custom studies, brand and customer research, panels, and analytics. It competes for the same enterprise research budgets as TRC while offering a much broader geographic and industry footprint.
• YouGov: YouGov operates proprietary consumer panels and offers custom research, brand tracking, and syndicated data. Its panel infrastructure and research-delivery model are comparable to TRC's, but at substantially greater global scale.
• Numerator: Numerator combines consumer panels with market and behavioral data to support brand and customer intelligence. It is relevant to TRC's panel-led research, segmentation, and predictive-customer analysis, but serves a wider set of categories.
• Euromonitor International: Euromonitor International supplies syndicated market research and strategic analysis across consumer industries, including pet care. Its global research platform and category reports are comparable to TRC's multi-client and industry-study offerings.
• NielsenIQ: NielsenIQ provides market measurement, consumer and retail intelligence, and analytics. Its data products and benchmarking capabilities are adjacent to TRC's syndicated category studies and channel and product-market analysis.
• Kantar: Kantar provides market research, consumer panels, brand strategy, and advanced analytics to large enterprises. Its end-to-end insights offering overlaps with TRC's research, segmentation, message testing, and strategic consulting capabilities.

Direct peers

• Brakke Consulting: Brakke Consulting is a long-established animal-health consulting firm serving many of the same pharmaceutical, veterinary, and pet-sector organizations as TRC. Its market-research activities and animal-health client base make it a close operating comparator, although Brakke also offers broader consulting, transaction, and recruiting services.
• Packaged Facts: Packaged Facts produces syndicated consumer and market research, including research relevant to pet care and packaged goods. It is comparable to TRC's multi-client studies, industry reports, and data-driven product and market assessments.

Emerging players

• Animalytix: Animalytix provides animal-health market data, analytics, and business intelligence. Its category-specific data products overlap with TRC's veterinary panels, market sizing, benchmarking, and syndicated animal-health research.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/trone-research-consulting
• Xx.com/TroneResearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/TroneResearch

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 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 Trone Research and Consulting