Ray C. Lawrence • Principal Associate

Mr. Lawrence holds a B.S. Degree in Industrial Management from the University of Kansas and a Masters Degree in Business Administration from the University of Missouri. He began his business career as an industrial engineer, and later marketing research analyst, with Butler Manufacturing Company of Kansas City. Subsequently, he enjoyed a thirteen year career with Exxon Company, U.S.A., Houston, where he held line and staff positions in marketing research, marketing project development, economic evaluation and long-range strategic planning. During his last three years with Exxon, Mr. Lawrence was in charge of preparing the annual long-range plan for the Marketing Department in coordination with the Refining Department. During this period, he also served as a volunteer member of the Citizens Advisory Group which assisted the City of Houston Transportation Department with its plans for the formation of METRO.

Mr. Lawrence entered the consulting field in 1978 as an independent marketing and planning consultant based in Frankfurt, Germany, working in the fields of international marketing research and market development, trade and investment promotion, and project feasibility and planning in Europe and the U.S.. After returning to the U.S., Mr. Lawrence joined CDS Market Research in 1983 as Director of Consumer and Industrial Research with full responsibility for managing quantitative and qualitative research projects for CDS clients in the financial, real estate, manufacturing and consumer products and services fields. After taking a leave of absence to perform several independent assignments in Europe, he rejoined CDS in 1990 as a Senior Associate and is now Principal Associate for the firm.

Mr. Lawrence has considerable expertise in all phases of quantitative marketing research (research design, data collection, analysis, and preparation and presentation of final reports) and qualitative research (one-on-one interviews and focus groups) related to industrial, commercial and residential real estate; consumer and industrial products; and business-to-business services. He is skilled in the fields of marketing, project and business planning, economic feasibility analysis, investment analysis and report writing and presentation. Recently he has been involved in a number of economic research assignments concentrating in the areas of urban transportation and planning, land use analysis and economic development. His work in this field has included projects for municipalities, economic development entities, civic associations and private sector developers. Specific assignments have addressed urban planning, development/ economic impact and project feasibility.

Mr. Lawrence is past president of the Houston Chapter of the American Marketing Association and is a member of the Greater Houston Partnership (GHP) and German-American Chamber of Commerce. He was previously a member of the Houston District Export Council, appointed by the Secretary of Commerce, and the Texas - Tamaulipas Bilateral Commission, appointed by the governor of Texas. Mr. Lawrence has been a frequent speaker at business seminars and workshops. He has also authored a number of articles on a variety of topics.