A Conversation With: Stephen Metzger, Small Vehicle Resource, LLOC

October 1, 2019 admin

Thank you to Stephen for sharing his story with us. So, let’s start at the beginning and tell our readers how you got your start in the industry.

How Small Vehicle Resource got started…

Small Vehicle Resource, of SVR, started in 2000 with a comprehensive market research study of what we called small, task-oriented vehicles (STOVs). My long time associate, Marc Cesare, and I saw the market and the industry as having three main components: Golf car-type vehicles, utility vehicles, and off-road vehicles. Each component had its dedicated market serving a principle segment, but there were plenty of vehicle models from a wide range of companies that went beyond the principle segment and into a number of ancillary segments. The common aspect of all the vehicles are that in size they are small (as compared to on-road vehicles) and they serve specific needs—that is, they were “task-oriented”.

What we do…

After a number of successful syndicated studies, we decided to put our ever-increasing knowledge of small vehicle markets and products into an internet-based service for consumers (commercial and private users) and vehicle dealers. Marc and I teamed with Andrew Kagan, a world-class data base programmer, to create smallvehicleresource.com. Our two services, market research and providing connectivity between small vehicle buyers and dealers, complement each other nicely.

And, we continue to generate syndicated and custom market research studies for

The website that defines what we do…

The website is quite unique. Most potential buyers have definite preferences before they start the process of seeing what the market has to offer. These preferences can be brand-oriented, performance attributes, types of usage, or simply finding a local dealer. Our website provides an efficient way to access vehicles meeting those preferences. For example, should a potential buyer want a vehicle with a 1,000 pound load capacity, an internal combustion powertrain, and seating four persons, by clicking these options on the PowerSearch menu, all vehicles (in total now numbering well other 1,200) meeting these requirements will appear, with a brief description. The user might be surprised at the brands that show up, because unless requested, all brands meeting the required specifications will be seen. Clicking on the vehicle will bring you to a page with detailed vehicle specs and a link to a local dealer. In addition, the potential buyer can also check off various vehicles for direct comparison.

What we are known for…

Our achievements can be described in terms of what we are known for:

Rigorous, objective market research;
Bringing product and market knowledge to those who need it most;
Insights into where the industry is headed and opportunities for future development.

The salient quality of the organization…

We would like to think that our most important quality is our objectivity in data analysis, including the data bases we have developed on our website, and the reasoned perspectives we bring to future developments, even though they may well exceed current industry expectations—this particularly in the area of urban mobility.

As a closing note…

I would like to acknowledge members of the industry that we have been in contact with over the years, whether phone conversations, e-mails, or directly at trade shows. It has been a rewarding experience to communicate with both the veterans of the industry and the newbies in start-up companies.