James D. Power III

Dave Power has spent more than 40 years as a pioneer in customer satisfaction work, with more than 35 as a founder of what has become one of the most prestigious marketing information firms in the world - J.D. Power and Associates. The firm numbers among its clients virtually every automotive manufacturer and importer serving the U.S. market, in addition to clients in many other industries around the world. With corporate headquarters in Westlake Village, California, the firm has regional offices in Orange, California; Mesa, Arizona; Troy, Michigan and Norwalk, Connecticut, and international offices in Bangkok, Beijing, London, Munich, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney, Tokyo and Toronto.

Mr. Power frequently speaks to top management and boards of directors of companies worldwide. The firm's reputation as a premier resource of customer satisfaction data and consultancies has led to research and projects in a variety of industries including automotive, financial services, telecommunication (cable, cellular, local and long distance telephone), travel, home builder, utilities and healthcare.

Following graduation from College of the Holy Cross in 1953, Mr. Power served four years of line officer duty aboard a Coast Guard icebreaker in the Artic and Antartic. He subsequently earned an MBA from the Wharton School of Finance at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined Ford Motor Company as a financial analyst and later worked for Marplan as a marketing research consultant for General Motors Corporation's Buick and GMC truck and coach divisions. Prior to launching J.D. Power and Associates in 1968, Mr. Power worked as a marketing research executive for J.I. Case Company, a construction and farm equipment manufacturer, and was a director of corporate planning for McCulloch Corporation, a Los Angeles-based engine manufacturer.

In 1992, Mr. Power was a recipient of the Automotive Hall of Fame's Distinguished Service Citation, awarded each year to seven of the industry's most accomplished leaders. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from College of the Holy Cross, California Lutheran University, California State University, Northridge and College Misericordia. He also serves as an adjunct professor of marketing at California State University, Northridge.