Remembering MRI co-founder Alain Tessier

MRI notes with sadness the passing of one of its founders, Alain Tessier. In 1979, Tessier, Timothy Joyce, and Philip Wenig founded Magazine Research, Inc., which soon became Mediamark Research, Inc. With Joyce handling research and Tessier leading sales and client relations, they began working from a hotel suite and built an innovative powerhouse in magazine metrics – and, ultimately, consumer insights of all types.

Julian Baim, Chief Research Officer at MRI, remembers Tessier as a “larger-than-life original … whose intelligence, charm, sense of humor and joie-de-vivre set the tone for the company.” Tessier was highly attuned to client needs and recognized the absolute importance of research integrity. He advised employees to “care more about the quality and integrity of our study than even the most demanding of our clients do.”

A graduate of the University of Notre Dame and Saint Michael’s College, Tessier was also a longtime member of the Market Research Council and was inducted into its Hall of Fame in 2004.