At 17 years old, Eric Shuster entered the tech industry, working full-time in the Silicon Valley while earning his engineering and MBA degrees. In 1986 he went to work for Compaq Computer Corporation, where he spent 14 years working in the US, Japan, and Europe as an engineer and marketing executive. In 1999 he took a job with a research company in New York as a senior executive, where he discovered his passion for conducting and applying market research. This resulted in Eric incorporating IntelliClear with his long-time business partner Dr. Alex Kalamarides in 2004. IntelliClear is a boutique market research and strategic consulting firm focused on the IT industry. The company pioneered an operational model in which the core of the company remains small in numbers while leveraging a global partnership network that allows IntelliClear to conduct qualitative and quantitative market research efficiently in dozens of countries.
Armed with his driven nature and decades of experience, Eric has helped build IntelliClear into a force that has earned the business of some of the IT industry’s leading companies. Eric has never viewed success as a destination but rather a journey in which successes (and failures) build upon themselves to provide a continuous path toward ever-increasing excellence. He advises, “Lift others in the journey, and they will reciprocate.”
As the Founder and CEO of IntelliClear, Eric is known for his communication skills, helping clients, partners, employees, and research participants feel valued and worthwhile, inspiring them to work hard and reach their full potential. Companies enjoy doing business with IntelliClear, and research participants enjoy participating in studies conducted by IntelliClear. This, along with Eric’s experience in the IT industry, extensive research expertise, analytical skills, and writing prowess, have propelled IntelliClear to achieve remarkable success in the market research space.
The pioneering leader believes the way one interacts with and leads people results in excellence in business execution. While managing direct reports can be challenging, managing people in a highly matrixed operation such as IntelliClear is even more difficult and requires exceptional communication and leadership skills. “It is not about manipulation, but rather treating each person you encounter with respect, grace, and humility. In doing so, hearts can be opened, cooperation fostered, problems solved, and business getting done efficiently,” says Eric, who, along with his family, lives on a farm and raises bees in Central Texas. It is pertinent to mention Eric, being a devout follower of Jesus Christ, has published three books, each dealing with matters of Christian spirituality, promoting unity, and understanding among global faith communities, while being active in his community serving in roles of pastoral leadership, along with assisting in local efforts to aid the poor and needy.
Eric has been taking the company to new heights with this willing heart and driven mindset. IntelliClear’s highly matrixed model is challenging but allows for competitive execution with high degrees of flexibility. “The overriding objective is to deliver quality, not quantity,” says Eric. Because of this strategy, IntelliClear must often be selective in the projects it takes on to maintain its standard of excellence and the work-life balance of its executives.
Eric explains the mission of IntelliClear has not changed in 20 years: “to bring clarity to IT market intelligence by delivering results-oriented research, responsive industry experience, and effective data synthesis – leading to confident go-to-market plans. The mission of IntelliClear is not the growth of the company, but rather to delight customers while doing something we love to do.” IntelliClear has achieved great heights by consistently delivering actionable intelligence through dedication, hard work, and a relentless focus on quality.
In one instance, a large manufacturing client desired to launch a global service for the products it sells and contracted IntelliClear to identify what those services might be. After conducting a quantitative conjoint study around the world, IntelliClear formulated a portfolio of services that has since helped the manufacturer generate billions of dollars in revenue. In another example, IntelliClear was brought on by a national distributor of technology products to strengthen its brand and market positioning. After conducting interviews with IT decision-makers and secondary research to better understand its competitors, IntelliClear contributed vital intelligence to company executives, leading to a rebranding campaign that propelled the client to generate increased awareness, consideration, and revenues.
IntelliClear, despite its relatively small size, has achieved becoming a market research partner to some of the IT industry’s household names—well-known brands that have deeply penetrated the IT infrastructures of nearly every company today using computing technology, software, and related services. IntelliClear's research over the last 20 years has impacted the decisions made by these companies, leading to their continued success in the marketplace, which is the most significant achievement of IntelliClear.