 RICHARD L. RAGATZ, Ph.D. is President
of Ragatz Associates. His academic background includes a Bachelor's
degree (1961) and a Master's degree (1963) from the University of
California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. degree in City and Regional Planning
(1969) from Cornell University.
In addition to his
consulting activities, he was an Assistant Professor of Housing and
Design at Cornell University (1966-69), where he taught courses in
Housing Market Analysis. For 12 years he was an Associate Professor
(1969-74) and Full Professor (1974-81) of Urban and Regional Planning
at the University of Oregon where he taught courses in Housing
Marketing Analysis, Housing Planning, Social Issues in Planning and
Planning Theory. He was Department Head from 1969 to 1974. He was a
member of the American Society of Planning Officials, the American
Institute of Planners, and the American Institute of Certified Planners.
Dr. Ragatz has been very
active in the primary trade association representing the resort
industry - the American Resort Development Association. He joined ARDA
in 1969, the year it was formed. In 1987, 1989, 1995 and 2006, he was
given special awards by ARDA for outstanding contributions to the
resort industry. The 1995 award was Industry Leader of the Year. The
2006 award was the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award.
He also has been active
in the Urban Land Institute, having cooperated with that group on a
major national study in 1974 on the resort real estate industry, and a
member since 1972.
His Ph.D. dissertation
from Cornell in 1969 is recognized as the first national study on
vacation homes ever conducted in the United States. He updated the
study in 1974 for the President's Council on Environmental Quality, in
1977 for the U.S. Forest Service, in 1990 for the National Association
of Realtors, and in 1993 for the American Resort Development
Association.
Since 1969, he has
published more than 50 articles on resort development for academic
journals and trade magazines. He also has delivered more than 350
speeches on resort development at conferences held throughout the world.
Dr. Ragatz has achieved
international recognition as the leading feasibility analyst and market
researcher in the resort real estate industry. He has been involved in
more than 2,000 studies in virtually every state and over 70 countries.
Clients include most major developers and lenders in the resort
industry.
Areas of specialty
include feasibility analysis, consumer and product research, economic
impact analysis and project evaluation.
 TRACY RAGATZ is Director of
Consulting for Ragatz Associates. She has a Bachelor’s Degree
(1989) from the University of California, San Diego, and a MBA from San
Diego State University (1995). Tracy has been associated with the firm
for over 10 years, and assumed her present position in 2006.
As
Director of Consulting, Tracy is responsible for feasibility analyses
and market research (with emphasis on consumer surveys). She has worked
on over 100 assignments throughout the U.S., Mexico, the Caribbean,
etc. She has directed a global survey of the fractional interest,
private residence club and destination club industries, as well as two
national surveys of resort timeshare owners and non-buyers for the
American Resort Development Association. She also is in charge of the
firm’s market research service called BuyerPulse.
Prior to joining Ragatz
Associates, Tracy had a 10-year career in the
health and fitness industry where she held marketing and sales
management positions with LA Fitness and 24-Hour Fitness.
 ROBERTA CORDELL is Director of
Feasibility
Analysis for Ragatz Associates. Roberta has been associated with the
firm for six years, and assumed her present position in 2006.
As Director of
Feasibility Analysis, Roberta has worked on over 150 such studies
throughout the United States, Mexico and Canada. She is primarily
responsible for the field research components, and has gathered
extensive experience for all types of products in the resort real
estate industry. Roberta has worked on five global surveys of the
fractional interest, private residence club and destination club
industries, as well as on five national conferences on the topics.
Prior to joining Ragatz
Associates, Roberta had a seven-year career in the technology industry,
with management positions at Qualcomm, Ericsson and Vectron. She has a
Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science from Fort Lewis
College in Colorado (1987).
FOCUS
GROUP FACILITATORS
 MARCIA FABIAN leads focus
groups for qualitative market research throughout the United States and
around the world. She has an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the
University of Oregon and a B.A. in Political Science and Education from
the University of Colorado.
Marcia has
taught at both
elementary schools and community colleges and is experienced in
marketing and public services activities. In addition to her consulting
activities with Ragatz Associates, she is a licensed marriage and
family therapist with a private practice in Eugene, Oregon.
 ANNETTE RAGATZ conducts focus
groups to facilitate insights into consumers' decisions to buy products
and services. She has an M.S. in Counseling Psychology from the
University of Oregon and a B.A. in Education from San Francisco State
College.
Annette
worked for 15
years in the field of education. She taught in Berkeley, California and
Cortland State University in New York. Currently she is a licensed and
nationally board certified psychologist as well as a licensed marriage
and family therapist with a private practice in Eugene, Oregon.
Together,
Marcia and
Annette have participated in over 1,000 focus groups on various
products in the resort industry. Clients include practically every
major company in the industry such as Marriott, Hilton, Fairmont, Four
Seasons, Mobil Land, Owners Club, etc. They specialize in resort
timeshare, fractional interests and private residence clubs. They have
published extensively, including a landmark study for the American
Resort Development Association, "Impacting the Image of the Resort
Timeshare Industry: Results of 15 Focus Groups With Owners and
Non-Buyers."
OFFICE
SUPPORT
 DEANNA HARDACKER is
Senior
Administrative Assistant and Office Manager for Ragatz Associates. In
addition to the multi-tasking associated with assisting Dr. Ragatz,
managing the office, and being involved in the planning of the annual
Fractional Interest Conference, she is also responsible for typing,
editing and distributing the reports generated by the company's two
focus group facilitators.
Prior to
joining Ragatz
Associates, Deanna had a 25-year career as a legal assistant in both
California and Oregon.
 SARAH WINTER
is Administrative
Assistant for Ragatz Associates. Her primary responsibility is typing,
editing and printing the many feasibility analyses and other reports
produced by the firm. She also helps to plan and manage the annual
Fractional Interest Conference.
Sarah is a
recent
transplant to Oregon, having grown up in New England and lived there
until 2003. She has a Bachelor's Degree (2001) from Goddard College in
Vermont. Prior to joining Ragatz Associates, she worked as Marketing
Director for a touring theatre company in Bozeman, Montana.
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