Texan MR agency targets billion-dollar clients

The firm has been set up by Sanjay Vrudhula and Lyle Durbin, president and vice president of Customer Research International (CRI), and Tod Higginbotham, president of Higginbotham Research. Both companies are also based in Texas and will continue to operate separately, but the new entity will target clients with revenue of more than $1bn, or Fortune 1000 companies that are based in or have a significant presence in the state.

Durbin (pictured), CEO of ReconMR, told Research that he, Vrudhula and Higginbotham have an “underlying desire to do bigger and better things”. He said that the trio will continue to play an “active role” in their existing businesses but, over time, will concentrate more on Recon MR.

The firm plans to open an office in Austin in the second quarter of 2012 and hire 10 employees over the course of the year. Another 15 new members of staff will be added in 2013 – and expansion beyond the Texas borders is also on the cards at some stage, Durbin said.