Practical What?
Practical Insights is a market intelligence consulting firm that addresses your business challenges with smart market research investments. We're not looking just for projects; we're looking for partners.
Practical Insights specializes in healthcare: pharmaceutical brands, advertising firms with healthcare clients, and small businesses with a healthcare focus.
We work with some
awesome people!
Let us introduce you.
Melinda Spaulding
Experienced Market Researcher, Insights Investigator
Skills & Experience
Melinda is the President of Practical Insights, Inc. She has focused her 20+ years of market research experience to balancing methodology with the art of storytelling. As it relates to this project, Melinda has co-created experiential learning modules on Insights and Synthesis with Marketing Skill Partners. Further, she continues to “step in the shoes” of her clients by filling flex-staffing needs for both marketing and market research roles.
Prior to establishing Practical Insights in 2007 with her husband, Melinda was a senior vice president at G & S Research (Indianapolis). However, she started her career as a market research consultant at Lilly after receiving her Masters in Market Research from the University of Georgia.
Leisure Pursuits
When Melinda isn’t working, she’s attempting to “get a run in,” but often that means she’s chasing her daughter around the house or challenging her son to another game of “pop-a-shot.” Don’t take her too seriously when she says she’s working-her home office has a view of Morse Reservoir. And when she says she’s having an owner meeting in “the board room,” she’s referring to the nickname for their boat.
Kim Hoffman
Project Director, Insights Examiner
Knowledge
Kim has a Master’s of Science in Elementary and Special Education from the State University of New York at New Paltz and an undergraduate degree in Special Education from the College of St. Rose, Albany, NY. She has also completed the Principles of Pharmaceutical Marketing Research certificate program at the University of Georgia. She made the career shift to marketing research after 20 years as an educator.
Time at Home
While all of that is enough to keep any normal person busy, Kim currently has 3 kids in college and 1 in high school. Kim is also very active and generous in her community, volunteering her time and money to the local Boy & Girls Club. When she isn’t chasing their new puppy Jeter around, Kim is a champion BUNCO player.
Ashley Hawkins
Video/Graphics/Production, Insights Illustrator
Stuff She Knows
Ashley started out her education at Helicopter Adventures, Inc. perusing her helicopter pilot's license. 5 years and 3 licenses later she decided to change paths as well as make a move across the country from her home in California, to the Midwest. Since then, Ashley has racked up almost 10 years of experience in market research and design through working for Practical Insights and several partnering companies as a project manager and graphic designer. Ashley has created a variety of deliverables for clients and is always willing to learn new products or try new software. She has created videos, iBooks and podcasts as well as traditional PowerPoint presentations. She is the go-to girl to "pretty up" our work.
Recreational Activities
When Ashley is not at work she is with her husband, most likely at a basketball or football game supporting her youngest stepson. Her hobbies include playing with her Saint Bernard, ordering too much on Amazon, and spoiling her grandbabies. She also loves dragging her friends and family to local painting classes at Painting with a Twist!
Tom Nash
Project Manager, Insights Collector
Expertise
Tom has an MBA from Indiana University, Bloomington and an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Notre Dame. Most of Tom’s 35-year career has been spent in market research on both the supplier and client side. He worked as a Market research consultant at Eli Lilly & Co. (Indianapolis) including a 5-year stint as a compliance/project manager and 5+ years in payer and reimbursement market research. He also managed global brand equity for multiple brands, worked in market research and finance consultant at Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida, was a market research account manager at Walker Research (now Walker Information – Indianapolis), and held various sales positions including pharmaceutical sales and multi-line insurance.
Personal Life
Tom “retired” from Eli Lilly at the end of 2017 concluding his fifteen year tenure at the company. After spending eight glorious months with his new grandson, addressing home projects he wondered how he ever got done while he worked, attending concerts and sporting events, etc., he knew deep down he just was not done working. Somehow he convinced Melinda to take him on and he’s never been happier at work. And yes, there’s still plenty of time for family, concerts, sporting events, and extracurricular/volunteer activities at his parish.
Jeff Spaulding
Co-Owner, Insights Auditor
Mastery
Jeff Spaulding is rounding his 20th year of Internal Auditing experience and has maintained his professional development by earning the following certifications: Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Certified Internal Auditor (CIA), and Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE). Jeff's experience and certifications in accounting and auditing not only provide the experience needed to manage the accounting and finance functions of Practical Insights, but also provide a unique perspective for performing data management and analysis.
Relaxation
Jeff runs daily and has too many hobbies to list. He is a sports fan for just about any team that is based out of Minnesota. Jeff can usually be found on a baseball field, basketball court, and anywhere in between coaching his son and daughter's teams.
Our Partners
Experienced Marketers, Insights Integrators
www.marketingskillpartners.com
Marketing Skill Partners LLC is a global consultancy that advises marketing capability leaders on the simple marketing foundations required to deliver top-line business results. We team up with MSP for learning programs, consulting, and much more. MSP's areas of expertise include: strategic marketing capability frameworks, brand building, new product launch, experiential learning and development design, talent development and professional moderation.