Rationale

Founded in 2011, the National Center for the Middle Market (NCMM) is a collaboration between The Ohio State University Fisher College of Business, Chubb and Visa. It was founded on the premise of ensuring that the vitality and robustness of middle market companies are fully realized as fundamental to our nation’s economic outlook and prosperity. The center has maintained a definition of the US Middle Market as companies with annual revenue between $10 million and $1 billion. NCMM is the leading source of knowledge, leadership and innovative research on the middle market economy, providing critical data analysis and insights for companies, policymakers and other key stakeholders. NCMM is fully committed to funding and distributing the most credible open-sourced research, dynamically creating new knowledge, providing programs that drive value for middle market companies and offering a well-informed outlook on the health and future of the middle market via the Middle Market Indicator. 

Over a decade since the center opened its doors, the US Middle Market remains one of the most under-researched and misunderstood sectors of the economy. As the center often notes, these companies face large enterprise challenges with small business resources. It is for this reason that we wish to continue to deepen our understanding of these businesses through research collaborations with corporations that are experts in their respective industries.

The NCMM is seeking collaborators for new and insightful research on the US Middle Market. The sponsoring organization will provide funding support for the project as well as subject-matter expertise. Together, this powerful partnership culminates in a richer understanding of the topic of study, a research paper highlighting the sponsoring organization’s contributions, and a marketing and communications distribution plan to disseminate the insights throughout the media and respective networks.

Criteria

An ideal partner for this research includes:  

  • The sponsoring organization has a focus on the US Middle Market
  • The sponsoring organization has a “need” or a gap in their understanding of the Middle Market
  • The sponsoring organization is financially capable of funding the project. Previous sponsoring organizations include: Google Cloud, Wells Fargo, Fifth Third Bank, Aon Corporation
  • The sponsoring organization understands that this opportunity is to contribute to the body of knowledge on the middle market and contribute toward advancing the mission of the NCMM.  Promotion or endorsement of any particular products or services is prohibited.
  • The working group of the sponsoring organization is able to commit approximately 6 months from start to finish on the project. This begins with the agreement and topic selection and concludes with the marketing and communications plan
 

Priorities

The following themes have been identified in our research as areas of further study:

Economic Uncertainty

  • Economic downturns, inflation, interest rates, market volatility, and their impact on consumer spending, costs, and business growth

Staffing and Workforce Retention 

  • Challenges in hiring, retaining, and training qualified employees. High turnover and a lack of skilled workers are recurring issues

Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration

  • The push to adopt AI technologies for operational efficiency, innovation, and competitiveness

Supply Chain Disruptions

  • Issues with lead times, raw material costs, and supplier reliability affecting production

Market Competition and Expansion

  • Fierce competition and challenges in expanding into new markets and maintaining market share

Government Policies and Tariffs 

  • Regulatory uncertainty, changes in tariffs, and government policies impacting business operations

Rising Costs 

  • Increases in costs for materials, labor, energy, and other operational expenses
 

Proposals

Interested organizations should submit a research proposal describing a project that fits into a priority category or topic as well as specific areas of focus.  Proposals should be no longer than 3 pages long and include:

  • Company background – industry, products/services, years in business
  • Middle Market focus – explain why middle market companies matter
  • Thought leadership – share examples of prior thought-leadership or research, either conducted independently or with a partner
  • Key contacts – individuals who would engage in the project (executive champion, project leader, SME contributors)
  • Marketing/Communications platforms – expectations around distributing the insights and data via events, social media, and other channels
  • Any questions for NCMM

Submit completed proposals or questions to: Middlemarketcenter@fisher.osu.edu