Expanding Your Toolbox

One source worth a second look is KeyValueData™, a recent re-tooling of what practitioners formerly knew as C.E.I.R.

Begun under the wing of NACVA, C.E.I.R. (Center for Economic & Industry Research, LLC) was an entity designed to take advantage of the scale of the organization to enable its members to gain cost-effective access to needed information.  Using this model, it provided value for about ten years.  Under the guidance and leadership of Gary E. Jones, C.E.I.R. has now come out from under the NACVA umbrella and morphed into KeyValueData.

Jones, himself, had recently retired following the sale of his own firm, ValueNomics, to Armanino McKenna.  After working his way through a nearly effortless transition period, he settled in at home thinking he might read and produce a follow up to his book (written with the help of ASA Dirk Van Dyke), The Business of Business Valuation, McGraw-Hill, 1998.  It took barely six months before boredom set in and his wife was urging him to find something to do.

Call it right time and right place.  By February 2006, Jones was the new CEO of KeyValueData.

Jones began a makeover, focusing on the delivery platform.  “The product just wasn’t out there as it should have been,” Jones commented.  “We re-engineered the platform that was being used to deliver the information.”  Now, less than a year later, KeyValueData has been purchased by ValuSource.

KeyValueData offers a toolkit with particular value for the small to mid-sized practice.  Subscribers can access the same industry reports from First Research that bankers have been using for years to help them get up to speed on an industry before making a sales call to a potential client.  Jones suggests that these reports – when used as part of a series of actions – can help an expert witness buttress a standard of care argument.

The Daubert Reporter feature gives the subscriber a heads-up on how his peers may have mis-handled expert testimony.  Knowing where the potholes are makes for a smoother ride on the stand.

Jones is developing four new databases that will further advance the value of KeyValueData.  The acquisition by ValuSource means that KVD will be opening up more to the rest of the valuation industry as it is no longer a NACVA captive.  Discussions are underway to offer subscription discounts through credentialing organizations.

The “fixed-price menu” nature of KeyValueData makes it a bargain for the small practice.  The range of data and help to be found there warrants a look-see from everyone.