McDowell Group

In business since 1972, McDowell Group is Alaska's most experienced research and consulting firm. The firm serves a broad range of private and public sector clients located in Alaska and elsewhere in North America.

What clients find most valuable about McDowell Group's research and consulting services is the firm's ability to communicate complex subject matter in a way that is informative and interesting to policy makers and the general public. Clear, concise writing and graphic presentation are hallmarks of McDowell Group's work. That, coupled with the firm's reputation for thorough and objective research, has made McDowell Group the preferred research and consulting partner for hundreds of businesses and organizations.

SEAFOOD
McDowell Group has extensive research and consulting expertise in the seafood industry. The firm is research contractor for the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute (ASMI) and in that capacity closely tracks conditions in Alaska's seafood industry and monitors domestic and international seafood markets. McDowell Group conducts seafood processing plant feasibility studies and seafood-related economic impact assessments.

TOURISM
McDowell Group is also the State of Alaska's contractor for the Alaska Visitor Statistics Program (AVSP). AVSP is among the country's most sophisticated visitor survey research programs. Last fielded in 2011-2012, McDowell Group conducted 3,500 intercept surveys with Alaska visitors as they exited the state aboard cruise ships, airlines, in personal vehicles, or on a ferry. AVSP included another 3,500 online surveys. McDowell Group's work in the visitor industry also includes market demand assessments for various attractions and excursions, feasibility studies for lodging establishments and transportation services, and local, regional, and statewide economic impact studies.

MINING
McDowell Group has been engaged in nearly all of Alaska's major mining projects, providing socioeconomic baseline research, economic impact profiles, and labor force assessments. McDowell Group is research contractor to the Alaska Miners Association and in that capacity prepares an annual summary of the economic impact of operating mines and mine development projects in Alaska.

EDUCATION
The firm's practice in K-12 and postsecondary education research includes student, staff, and faculty surveys, as well as parent surveys. McDowell Group performs education-related program evaluations as well as demand assessments for new training/education programs. The firm has prepared statewide, regional, and campus level economic impact profiles for the University of Alaska.

HEALTH CARE
McDowell Group's health care-related research and consulting services include market, patient satisfaction, and consumer image surveys for hospitals and other health care providers. The firm is experienced in statistical analysis of clinical and population health data, especially in areas of behavioral health, community health, and public health surveillance systems. McDowell Group conducts community health needs assessments, including senior services/long-term care needs planning. McDowell Group prepares economic impact profiles for regional health organizations. The firm recently completed a third edition of the Economic Impacts of Drug and Alcohol Abuse in Alaska.

SURVEYS
Many McDowell Group assignments have a survey research component. The firm routinely conducts telephone, mail, online and personal intercept surveys. Our survey research experience includes a broad range of important public policy issues in education, Native affairs, health care, cost of living analyses, and infrastructure development, among other issues. The firm does not do political polling of any kind. One particular specialty of McDowell Group is shareholder surveys for Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act (ANCSA) corporations.

TRANSPORTATION
McDowell Group's research and consulting services related to transportation services and infrastructure development include traffic forecasts, cost/benefit studies, user benefit analyses, socioeconomic impact assessments, and ridership surveys. The firm has studied market demand and feasibility of port and industrial park development, public and privately-operated ferry services, highways and bridges, and related infrastructure.

NATIVE AFFAIRS
Woven throughout McDowell Group’s professional services is a focus on meeting the research and consulting needs of Alaska’s Native-owned and operated businesses and organizations. The firm’s work for ANCSA corporations, local and regional tribal organizations, regional health care providers, and other Alaska Native entities is particularly relevant to McDowell Group’s mission to enhance the social and economic well-being of Alaskans. Shareholder surveys, feasibility studies, market assessments, and strategic planning services are among the services McDowell Group provides to the Alaska Native community.