Founded on the belief that you’re only as good as your people, we have tirelessly sought talent with diverse backgrounds and assembled a cast of characters that keeps winning business from the most sophisticated clients. And as diverse as we are in composition, we are unified under an operating philosophy that creates game-changing insights for our clients. We’re onto something good here.
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Ashley Shomaker
Chairman -
Blake Kinser
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights & Programming -
Bryden Grothe
Director | Consumer Insights -
Caleb Boaz
President & CEO -
Greg Schell
Director | Programming & Analytics -
Jeff Phillips
Vice President | Operations & Technology -
Karlos Ramos
Manager | Consumer Insights & Operations -
Kieron Bryan
Vice President | Consumer Insights -
Michael Vazquez
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights -
Nick Helle
Senior Vice President | Data Visualization -
Robin Hurley
Senior Director | Consumer Insights -
Samantha Lange
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights
Ashley Shomaker
Chairman
Our chairman thinks big, and that can be seen through his client track record and the staff he’s assembled. Ashley leads the charge in every single way. Whether developing new research plans to help clients explore new strategies, or getting his own hands dirty guiding primary research, his presence is felt throughout every stage of U30’s great work. We’re the company we are today, because of Ashley.
Since 2001, Ashley has piloted U30 through the development of proprietary panels for some of the world’s leading marketers, and has led ground-breaking strategic projects that have brought clients to their feet. Prior to his post at U30, Ashley served as Vice Chair of LearningSoft Corp; EVP Marketing & Sales at Digital Entertainment Network (DEN); EVP at Channel One Network; EVP & Publisher at Whittle Communications; SVP, Group Account Director at Bozell. The list goes on, but we don’t need to go any further to show you why he’s well suited for the job.
Arbitrary Facts about Ashley
- Believes you can get just about anything done in 12 hours
- He’s solar powered – there’s nothing better than a day on the lake or at the beach
- Loves Texas music…
- …and the Georgia Bulldogs
Blake Kinser
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights & Programming
Know what a cria is? Blake does. It’s a baby llama, and his family has been raising them for decades. We’ll spare you all the amazing llama puns, but what we will tell you is how growing up in animal husbandry has shaped Blake into one of the most hard-working, self-motivated, and humble members of our team.
With qualities like these, it’s no wonder Blake is such an amazing fit to lead some of our most critical functions at U30. Blake’s background in statistics, his attention to every single detail, and an unmatched work ethic means projects run more smoothly, efficiently, and thoughtfully than ever before. And if there’s a last minute request that comes through, he’s going to attack it head-on and with a servant’s heart. Because that’s just what you have to do to get the job done.
At the end of the day, Blake knows the end product is worth it, but there’s going to be a lot of time – and heart – that’s put into getting it done right. And Blake’s response to all that effort? “No probllama!” Sorry, we just had to do it once.
Arbitrary Facts about Blake
- Kidding aside, Blake specializes in llama social interaction
- Avid golfer and certified fitter by the likes of Callaway, Titleist, and Taylormade
- He’s not just for the llamas. He also has 110 gallons-worth of aquariums!
- If he’s not on the farm or golf course, he’s out on the river kayaking!
Bryden Grothe
Director | Consumer Insights
Bryden often has a unique take on things … probably because she’s been viewing the world from a different angle most of her life.
See, Bryden spent a lot of time going backwards as a champion backstroker on the varsity swim team at braniac Trinity University in San Antonio. And her natural inclination to approach things from a different perspective pays big dividends helping develop insights for U30 clients.
Bryden’s been a world traveler since starting at U30, executing in-home ethnographies for U30 clients all across North America, Central and South America, and Asia. She’s deep into food, beer and restaurant categories with U30 clients Johnsonville, MillerCoors, Frito-Lay, Outback and Carrabba’s.
Bryden has a personality as unique as her name. She’s never met a stranger, and she’s the life of every party!
Arbitrary Facts about Bryden
- College swimmer and diver
- Preacher’s kid. And proud of it!
- In her spare time, she’s Swim Coach at inner-city Emerald Youth Foundation
- She has a unique name. And a personality to match!
Caleb Boaz
President & CEO
At U30, we believe people with diverse interests and passions make the most interesting and passionate researchers. Caleb maxes out on those characteristics.
Prior to joining U30, Caleb was deep into CrossFit … in fact, he even owned his own CrossFit “box”. On weekends, Caleb and his band, Teen Spirit, play to packed houses, and Caleb is his band’s virtuoso lead guitarist and lead vocalist. And Caleb is a self-taught “fixer-upper” and just finished a complete renovation on an historic Knoxville home.
Caleb brings that passion to every client and every project he works on. His incredible work ethic enables him to do exceptional work on many U30 clients, as diverse as MillerCoors, H&R Block, Outback, Carrabbas, Bonefish, Merck, and Lyft. Thank goodness for cross-training!
Arbitrary Facts about Caleb
- Strength and conditioning coach (benches 310 and squats 380)
- Terrible Towel-carrying Pittsburgh Steelers fan (Truth be told, he owns four.)
- Spends weekends running ridiculous mileage – like a recent Chattanooga-to-Nashville relay race
- Asks for “double bacon” when ordering breakfast
Greg Schell
Director | Programming & Analytics
What do social hierarchy theory, computer programming and statistics have in common? Greg knows them all and better than pretty much anyone else.
Greg manages a number of U30’s core disciplines including online survey programming, quantitative analytics and modeling, website development, normative database management, and many others. Greg is also the author of U30’s highly discriminating screening tool that identifies personality characteristics that have proven to be exceptional predictors of great research participants.
Before joining U30, Greg was in academia at The University of Toronto focused on personality assessment and interpersonal expectancies. You better believe we’re taking advantage of this brain. You’ll want to, too.
Arbitrary Facts about Greg
- Rubik’s Cubes are no match for Greg. His fastest time to solve? A blistering 3 minutes!
- Knows all the lyrics to “Oh Canada” (but won’t sing them …publicly at least)
- Plays a mean bass guitar
- Frequent visitor to Reddit
Jeff Phillips
Vice President | Operations & Technology
If Jeff were a politician, his platform would be No Detail Left Behind – the mantra that drives his work performance and ensures every detail of each client’s projects work perfectly.
Jeff’s core expertise is in research projects with lots of moving parts. He specializes in technology-heavy qualitative methodologies like In Home Use Tests, Virtual Focus Groups and Consumer Communities, where protocol is paramount. Jeff is a veteran online community manager with experience administering communities and forums both domestically and internationally. U30 clients including Johnsonville, Merck, H&R Block, Lyft, Hallmark and Wrigley have all benefitted from Jeff’s dogged pursuit of the details.
Jeff holds a BS and an MBA. And he was an NCAA soccer defenseman at Emory & Henry College. Now, details are his passion. For him, the details game is “joga bonito”.
Arbitrary Facts about Jeff
- Managed the Tennis Center at Kiawah Island Resort before coming to U30 – pretty great training for great client service!
- A self-proclaimed database of movie knowledge (just try to beat him at IMdB Bingo or 6 Degrees of Kevin Bacon!)
- Avid snowboarder
- Named his cat after a president… Richard Nixon
Karlos Ramos
Manager | Consumer Insights & Operations
Profile Coming Soon!
Kieron Bryan
Vice President | Consumer Insights
Profile coming soon!
Michael Vazquez
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights
Ever heard the expression it’s not what you say, it’s how you say it? For Michael, the expression has been a bit more like, it’s not what you say, it’s how you physiologically experience it. Okay, it may not have the same ring, but Michael’s made a career of it.
Michael arrived at U30 with extensive background in neuro-measures research, including biometrics, facial expression analysis, eye tracking and EEG research. And his experience with clients and consumers across a wide range of product categories enables him to think broadly about approaches that can increase the understanding of all kinds of audiences.
At U30, Michael leads quant and qual studies for U30 clients in healthcare, government organizations, and restaurants. Michael’s great at uncovering insights using written and verbal methodologies … and Michael’s neuro experience makes him great at discerning the meaning behind the unspoken word too!
Just be prepared – Michael won’t let you off the hook with what you say – he’s going to make you go much…much deeper!
Arbitrary Facts about Michael
- College artist who likes to repurpose old magazines and advertisements
- Eclectic record collector
- Avid reader of sci-fi novels
Nick Helle
Senior Vice President | Data Visualization
Knowing numbers is great, but knowing how to turn them into an artistic story is even better. That’s Nick at his best.
With a strong background in statistics, Nick provides support to all quantitative studies at U30, from design and sampling, to analysis and reporting. He has extensive experience running the analysis across a range of study types, including conjoint, MaxDiff, penalty analysis, price sensitivity, cluster and factor analysis, brand trackers, and many others. But Nick isn’t just great with numbers. He can then pair the analysis with a graphical overlay that really brings insights to life.
Nick cut his teeth at U30 as a programmer before moving into his true love of analytics. And while he now leads the charge for all number crunching, he still stays actively involved in the day-to-day details to ensure data integrity and question effectiveness in our programming.
Arbitrary Facts about Nick
- NCAA All-Conference golfer
- Won the 2011 USTA Mixed Doubles State Championship, the Southern Sectional Championship, and then lost a 5-set heartbreaker in the National Championship match.
- Loves his French bulldog!
Robin Hurley
Senior Director | Consumer Insights
Profile coming soon!
Samantha Lange
Senior Manager | Consumer Insights
Profile Coming Soon!