With 25 years of survey research, marketing, and business management experience, Maria Larcher has an extensive background serving Fortune 500 clients in a wide range of assignments focusing on helping organizations improve their strategic business decisions by monitoring key performance indicators and by using market research to understand their customers and the value they seek:

Her industry experience is varied and includes consumer products, telecommunications, retail, pharmaceuticals, banking & financial services, high tech products, e-tailers, e-commerce, entertainment, kids' toys, customer support services, clothing, travel & leisure, packaged goods, Hispanic marketing, energy & utilities, health care, education, non-profits, and public affairs.

In addition to Fortune 500 clients, Maria has contributed as a virtual team member on projects for small and medium-sized businesses, non-profits, public affairs agencies, market research vendors, and independent, strategic business consultants.

Prior to forming Larcher Consulting, Maria Larcher worked in consulting, business management, and small business startups.

This first-hand experience with strategic business issues and marketing challenges gives Maria a unique ability to understand what decision-makers are looking for, how to collect, organize, and distribute the information, and how to visually display the findings and recommendations.

Computers for Marketing Corporation: Director of the Market Research Data Processing Service Bureau; responsible for significant increases in revenue and profits by improving customer service, creating staff training programs, and developing an automated project costing system.

BBW Public Affairs Consultancy: Director of Qualitative Research Services; responsible for launching the first focus group facility in downtown San Francisco, attaining 80% booking level within 6 months.

SRI International and the Allstate Insurance Company: Senior Analytics Consultant; responsible for database programming and statistical analysis, and directed a number of consumer research studies at each of these companies.

Maria is a member of Women in Consulting (currently serving as WIC's Website Content Co-Chair) and the American Marketing Association, with a specific interest in Marketing Research.

She holds a BA in Mathematics and an MA in Mass Communication Research Methodology and Quantitative Analytics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

When she's not analyzing data, Maria enjoys roller-blading, gardening, long walks, sunsets at the beach, encouraging everyone to have pet chickens (!), and serving as the website content manager for:

• www.DownHomeRanch.org, a unique, holistic, residential ranch community for people with disabilities in Elgin, Texas featured on CBS News' Assignment America and People Magazine
• WelcomeToWahkiakum.com, an online visitor guide to Wahkiakum County, a rural community set along the Lower Columbia River in Southwest Washington
• Wahkiakum School District, home of the Mules sports teams