ABOUT Jim Trutko

• My Current Business- Currently, I provide market research and economic consulting services to help company and business executives understand their business environment and expand their sales or services. My specialties are economic analysis and preparing charts and data visualizations for reports or presentations.
• My Business Experience- I have over 20 years of business experience in providing economic analysis, charts and data visualizations, social media content, industry studies, business plans, reports and presentations, and marketing strategies. In the past, I was the Market Research Manager for The Plain Dealer, a small business franchise owner and a partner in a venture capital firm. Many years ago, I was the Research Director and Director of Business Development for the Greater Cleveland Growth Association.
• My Research Experience- Because I have strong writing and analytical skills, I have typically been a research generalist rather than an industry specialist. Over my career, I have studied a wide range of industries: newspapers, social media, automotive, real estate, residential and commercial construction, international finance, travel and tourism, franchising, IT, steel, machine tools, healthcare. I have used a number of research techniques, including: demographic analysis, consumer behavior studies, focus groups, advertising analysis, economic analysis and projection, statistics, survey development. I have experience with population and population estimates, BLS/BEA data series, employment/establishment data, economic projection services, consumer confidence surveys, D&B/Hoover’s and other industry lists, comScore, Scarborough Research, Kantar Media and many association/private data sources.

ABOUT Tru-Analytics

• TruAnalytics Mission- I formed Tru-Analytics as an Ohio non-profit organization to promote economic growth and efficient government in Northeast Ohio. The mission of Tru-Analytics is to provide citizens, government officials and non-profit organizations with better economic data, analysis and educational materials supporting fiscally responsible government and more effective economic growth strategies.
• Public Policy Background- Tru-Analytics grew out of my long interest in public policy analysis. Over the years, I have written op-eds pieces and offered public testimony or comment on various topics. I served as project manager for the Great Lakes Governors Machine Tool Study and for an SBA study on franchising. Privately, I have provided economic overviews and policy analysis for public officials. My current public policy interests include: employment and business growth, labor market changes, economic development, entrepreneurship, manufacturing policy, analysis of local taxes and spending, and economic impact assessment.
• Tru-Analytics Blog Focus- The Tru-Analytics blog will focus primarily on monitoring Northeast Ohio job and business creation and linking local economic trends to statewide/national trends. Unlike some economic newsletters with heavy text content, the blog will use simple, visually appealing graphics with minimal text explanations. The blog/newsletter will cover data that is not explored in depth by local media.