# Competitive Edge Research & Communication

> Competitive Edge Research & Communication is a privately held San Diego research and strategy firm that designs surveys, runs mixed-mode data collection, moderates focus groups, tests messages with audience dials, and carries findings into grassroots or voter outreach. Founded in 1987 by John Nienstedt and a partner, it serves public agencies, campaigns, associations, nonprofits, utilities, media companies, and consumer brands. Its most revealing work turns abstract opinion into concrete decisions - from the Padres' brown-and-gold uniforms to the wording and targeting behind a municipal tax campaign.

- **Founded:** 1987
- **Headquarters:** San Diego, United States
- **Founders:** John Nienstedt (Co-founder, President and CEO)
- **Team size:** Approximately 26 employees, according to supplied Apollo data.
- **Products:** Polling and analysis, Focus groups and in-depth interviews, Dial testing, Grassroots campaign administration, Data collection
- **Notable:** Helped the San Diego Padres validate the return to brown-and-gold uniforms through two phases of dial-tested focus groups involving 241 and 280 randomly selected fans., John Nienstedt received the U.S. Small Business Administration's Entrepreneurial Success Award for 2000., CERC's published timeline says Nienstedt was named San Diego Pollster of the Year seven times.

## Products & services

- **Polling and analysis** — Custom questionnaire design, sampling, mixed-mode fieldwork, statistical analysis, predictive modeling, proprietary metrics and decision-oriented reporting.
- **Focus groups and in-depth interviews** — Qualitative research used to surface motivations, language, concerns and messaging opportunities before or alongside quantitative work.
- **Dial testing** — Perception Analyzer sessions that capture private, moment-to-moment reactions to advertising, speeches, debates, entertainment and visual designs.
- **Grassroots campaign administration** — Letter-desk, direct-connect, call-to-action and list-building programs, including high-volume calling and response verification.
- **Data collection** — In-house phone, web, email and text-to-web fieldwork for CERC projects and allied pollsters, with interviewer evaluation and callback controls.
- **Voter contact** — Live telephone communication programs for campaigns that need to reach and persuade large numbers of voters.

## Achievements

- Helped the San Diego Padres validate the return to brown-and-gold uniforms through two phases of dial-tested focus groups involving 241 and 280 randomly selected fans.
- John Nienstedt received the U.S. Small Business Administration's Entrepreneurial Success Award for 2000.
- CERC's published timeline says Nienstedt was named San Diego Pollster of the Year seven times.
- Presented research on ballot-measure wording, interviewer effects and incumbent viability at American Association for Public Opinion Research conferences.
- Opened an El Paso survey research center in 2017.
- Won competitive public-sector work with agencies including the City of San Diego, SANDAG, El Cajon and Sweetwater Authority.
- Its 2024 California statewide poll correctly showed Proposition 36 passing comfortably and Proposition 33 losing, while identifying Proposition 32 as close.

## Latest updates

- **2026-09** — Published research on El Paso's proposed downtown deck plaza, finding interest in the park but sensitivity to its reported $207 million price.
- **2026-08** — Published a customer-satisfaction mode study showing materially different results between text-to-web and live-phone interviewing.
- **2026-05** — Published a mixed-mode versus text-only voter-survey comparison showing different respondent pools, engagement and weighted opinions.
- **2025-09** — Sweetwater Authority staff proposed a CERC customer focus group and survey engagement capped at $56,000.
- **2024-11** — CERC's California statewide election and proposition polling received KPBS coverage.

## Links

- Website: https://cerc.net/
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/competitive-edge-research-communication
- Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/CompetitivEdge
- YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xjefj6dP780
- Facebook: https://facebook.com/pages/Competitive-Edge-Research-and-Communications/114342585271649

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Profile page: https://yespress.io/competitive-edge-research-and-communication
Published by YesPress — https://yespress.io
Last updated: 2026-09-16