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Melissa Anderson joined the staff of IRN in 1986. Her primary role in the organization is as the architect of custom research projects that help clients assess the market potential for new products, prioritize customer targets, understand industry trends, and other facets of strategic marketing. The majority of these projects deal with automotive components, such as airbags, climate control components, door impact beams, exhaust system materials, numerous elements of the interior, lighting, fuel delivery systems, bumpers and fascia, anti-lock brake systems, and others.
In service of merger & acquisition evaluation and market diversification, Melissa has also conducted many studies for clients on non-automotive markets. A few examples are: home appliances; desk accessories; library furniture; touchscreens and digitizers; cold-forming machinery; manufacturing automation; heavy truck components; marine fenders; and hog scrapers.
Melissa has found that the critical success factors in research work include: an inquiring mind; the ability to come up to speed quickly on a new topic; an understanding of how fragmented facts can become a market picture; knowledge of information sources and research techniques; and clear communication skills.
In addition to research, Melissa prepares business plans, marketing materials, and presentations for clients. She has been a regular contributor of columns to Inside Automotives automotive interiors magazine and MI Biz West, as well as IRN’s quarterly publication, Autosphere.
Melissa graduated with distinction from the Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) program at the University of Michigan in 1986. She earned her undergraduate degree in Political Science and Russian, summa cum laude, in 1980 from Middlebury College in Vermont. Melissa also holds a diploma from the Pushkin Institute of the Russian Language in Moscow. Her academic honors include membership in Phi Beta Kappa, the Dobro Slovo honor society for Slavic studies, and the Beta Gamma Sigma business honor society.
Melissa currently serves on the board of the American Association of University Women - Grand Rapids Branch. | 