"We're encouraged that over 90 percent of our work comes from
​past partners and people they refer to us."

Cobalt has had the privilege to partner with many schools, local governments and organizations, some of which include:
​44th District Court
Aetna
AL!VE/Hayes Green Beach Hospital, MI
Avondale School District, MI
Bear Creek Service District, CA
Bear Valley, CA
Beckett & Raeder Inc.
Bellows Falls Downtown Development
Berrien County, MI
Bills Falls Downtown Development Alliance, VT
Birch Run Area Schools, MI
Bloomfield Hills Schools, MI
Boyne City, MI
Bridgeport-Spaulding Community Schools, MI
Brownstown Township
Buena Vista School District, MI
Canton Charter Township, MI
Carlisle Wortman Associates
Carrollton Public Schools, MI
Cascade Charter Township, MI
Charlotte Aquatic Center, MI
Charlotte Area Networking for Development and Opportunity (CANDO), MI
Charlotte Beach Market
Charlotte Performing Arts Center, MI
Charlotte Public Schools, MI
Charlotte Rising Social District
Chesaning Union Schools, MI
City of Abbeville, SC
City of Adrian, MI
City of Albion MI,
City of Allen Park, MI
City of Allentown, PA
City of Anderson, SC
City of Ashland, WI
City of Aurora, CO
City of Battle Creek, MI
City of Berkley, MI
City of Blaine, MN
City of Bloomfield Hills, MI
City of Brookfield, WI
City of Burlington, VT
City of Burnsville, MN
City of Cadillac, MI
City of Charlotte, MI
City of Cheraw, SC
City of Clare, MI 
City of Claritas, OH
City of Clinton, MO
City of Copperas Cove, TX
City of Dearborn, MI
City of East Lansing, MI
City of Farmington, MI
City of Ferndale, MI
City of Fort Smith, MO
City of Garden City, MI
City of Gilroy, CA
City of Grand Rapids, MI
City of Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
City of Grosse Pointe Park, MI
City of Grosse Pointe Shores, MI
City of Grosse Pointe Woods, MI
City of Grosse Pointe, MI
City of Hastings, MI
City of Henderson, KY
City of High Point, NC
City of Howell, MI
City of Janesville, WI
City of Joplin, MO
City of Lakeland, FL
City of Lansing, MI
City of Las Vegas, NV 
City of Laurens, SC
City of Lawrenceburg, IN
City of Lee's Summit, MO
City of Livonia, MI
City of Marion, NC
City of Mayville, WI
City of Midland, MI
City of Minnetonka, MN
City of Monroe, WI
City of Montpellier, VT
City of Montreat, NC
City of Mount Clemens, MI
City of New Brighton, MN
City of North Bend, WA
City of North Chicago, IL
City of Oak Creek, WI
City of Oak Park, MI
City of Pleasant Ridge, MI
City of Pullman, WA
City of Puyallup, WA
City of Richfield, MN
City of Ridgefield, WA
City of Riverview, MI
City of Riverview, WA
City of Rochester Hills, MI
City of Rocky Mount, NC
City of Romulus, MI
City of Roseville, MN
City of Royal Oak, MI
City of Russellville, AR
City of Rutland, VT
City of Saint Louis, MO
City of Saline, MI 
City of St. Joseph, MI
City of Stevenson, WA
City of Swartz Creek, MI
City of Troy, MI
City of Vergennes, VT
City of Walhalla, SC
City of Walla Walla, WA
City of Warren, MI 
City of Warrensburg, MO
City of Watauga, TX
City of Waukesha, WI
City of Wausau, WI
City of Wayne, MI
City of Williamston, MI
City of Wilmington, VT
City of Winnebago, MN
City of Wixom, MI
City of Worcester, MA
City of Ypsilanti, MI
Colorado Fire and Police Pension Association
Community Data DEV
Comstock Charter Township, MI
Cumberland County, PA
Delmar Neighborhood, St. Louis MO
Dewitt Charter Township, MI 
Dutchtown St. Louis, MO
Eaton Community Bank
Eaton County Fair
Edward Lowe Foundation, MI
Employee Benefits Research Institute
Farmington Public Schools, MI
Florida Benchmarking Consortium
Frankenmuth School District, MI
Freeland Community School District, MI
Gabriel, Roeder, Smith & Company (GRS)
Gallagher Benefit Services
Gallup
Galveston County, TX
General Electric (GE) 
Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, University of Michigan
Government Finance Officers Association
Graham County, NC
Grosse Pointe Chamber of Commerce, MI
Grounded with Data
Hartland Township, MI
Hemlock Public School District
Ice Miller
Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund (IMRF)
Independence Township, MI
ING
Institutional Society of Risk Professionals
International Economic Development Council
International Foundation of Employee Benefit Plans
Jefferson County, AR
Kalamazoo Charter Township, MI
Kansas Government Finance Officers Association
Laclede's Landing, St. Louis, MO
Lakota Group
Lee's Summit, MO
Lewis County, WA Tourism
Livonia Parks, MI
Ludington State Park Campground, MI
Luna County, NM
Macomb Township
Main Street America
Maple Valley Schools, MI
Marquette Township, MI
Meridian Charter Township, MI
Merrill Community Schools, MI
Michigan Association of School Administrators
Michigan Association of Transit Systems
Michigan DNR
Michigan Government Finance Officers Association
Michigan Municipal League
Michigan Office of Outdoor Recreation
Michigan Office of Retirement Services
Michigan State University Local Government Benchmarking Consortium 
Michigan Township Association
Midland (MI) Public Schools, MI
Milliman 
Minnesota State Retirement System (MSRS)
Minnetonka, MN
Mississippi Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS)
Missouri DNR
Missouri DOT and Patrol Employees' Retirement System (MPERS)
Missouri Local Government Employees Retirement System (MO LAGERS)
Missouri State Department of Conservation
Missouri State Employees' Retirement System (MOSERS)
MSU DNR
Munder Capital Management
Municipal Employees' Retirement System (MERS) of Michigan
Munitrix
National Association of State Retirement Administrators (NASRA) 
National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)
National Council on Teacher Retirement (NCTR)
National Main Street
New York State Teachers' Retirement System (NYSTRS)
NorthStar Academy, MI
Oakland Charter Township, MI
Oakland County, MI
Ohio Public Employees' Retirement System (OPERS)
Ohio School Employees' Retirement System (SERS)
Orion Township, MI
Oshtemo Charter Township, MI
Oxford Charter Township, MI
Pittsfield Township, MI
Pittsford Area Schools, MI
​Placer Labs
Plante & Moran
Public Financial Management (PFM)
Public Pension Financial Forum (P2F2)
Randolph Area Community Development, VT
Rotary
Royal Oak Township, MI
Saginaw Intermediate School District, MI
Saginaw Township Community Schools, MI
Saint Louis Park, MN
Salem Township, MI
Sleepy Hollow State Park, MI
Small Biz Engagement System
SMART Return to Work pulse survey
Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG)
Spring Lake Township, MI
St. Clair County, MI
St. Clair Shores City, MI
Stafford County, VA
State of Michigan
State of Minnesota
State of Missouri
State of Ohio
State of Vermont Main Street
State of Washington
Studio Hope
Superior Township, MI
Swan Valley School District, MI
Tacony, PA
Tegrit Group
Texas Charter Township, MI
The Greater Chatham Initiative
The International Foundation of Employee Benefits
Tyrone Township, MI
University of Michigan Center for Local, State and Urban Policy
Uptown Jackson Revitalization Organization
Valley Junction, IA
Vergennes Partnership
Washington Trust, WA
West Orange County, FL
WI EDC
Wichita State University, KS
Winnebago Industries
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
Yale Public Schools, MI
Ypsilanti Charter Township, MI
Ypsilanti City, MI

What they tell communities considering Cobalt:

Cobalt's data is nothing short of amazing. Being able to see guest psychographics and home locations has helped us refine our marketing strategies significantly. Moreover, their dependable guest counts and trend analyses have been instrumental in keeping our city and stakeholders involved and excited about the festival's growth and impact.
     - Michigan Nordic Fire Festival Planning Committee

The in-depth data analysis and feedback has been extremely helpful.  We have been able to focus on the areas that drive results and improve processes for our members.
     - Chip Weule, Fire and Police Pension Association of Colorado
 
We love you. (We already say it!)
     -Judy Davids, City of Royal Oak, MI
 
Do it!
     -Jennifer Kibby, Executive Director, Allen Park Downtown Development
 
Utilizing Cobalt now for six years, we have great trend lines from our annual statistically valid citizen survey.
     -Elizabeth Chamberlain, City of Walla Walla, WA
 
A local government reached out to me recently to ask about partnering with Cobalt. I highly endorsed your services based on your responsiveness.
     -Southeast Michigan Council of Governments
 
This is so powerful, I don’t want other downtowns to have it! Unless they are not near me….”
     -Main Street participating community
 
Cobalt provides an excellent look into how our members feel about their retirement process. The comments they capture from the members is extremely helpful in identifying trends or service needs.
     -John Grumney, Ohio School Employees’ Retirement System
 
Cobalt provides very high-quality services at reasonable costs.
     -Candy Smith, Missouri State Employees’ Retirement System
 
Wow! The data package we bought was affordable, comprehensive, and saved months of time gathering it all in-house. Better yet, William has been great to work with, customizing and adding to the data as we need. This is NOT an off-the shelf, cookie-cutter package. This is the best data service I have ever used and I can't recommend it enough.
     -Jennifer Kibby, Executive Director, Allen Park Downtown Development
 
I would recommend Cobalt.
     -Hank Kim, National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems
 
Not being a natural tourist destination, our community worked with Cobalt to identify potential new events that could attract visitors from out of town. Cobalt conducted research testing ideas with focus groups and surveys. Among other positive results, that research formed the foundation for a new winter festival that has attracted over 10,000 people to Charlotte from across the Upper Midwest. The festival has grown each year, and is proving to be financially sustainable. I am looking forward to working with Cobalt on future projects. The organization is professional, personable and results-oriented.
     -Bryan Myrkle, Community Development Director, City of Charlotte, Michigan
 
Having this type of data from Cobalt is exciting on a variety of levels!
     -Main Street participating community
 
In moving our organization forward, survey and benchmark data from customers and local businesses is a necessity.  Cobalt has provided professional service, detailed information, and comparative data at a competitive rate to help us tell our story and identify those issues needing to be addressed.
     -City of Lakeland, FL
 
Excellent: Lots of information presented in a well-organized and understandable manner.  I wish we would have had this information before hiring our planner to do our master plan.
     -Michigan Township Association Clerk's Retreat
 
Well done, relevant surveying. Benchmarks were especially useful.
     -City of Brookfield, WI
 
Cobalt Community Research has the ability create a powerful interactive educational instrument which can support organizational goals.
     -Michigan Association of Transportation Systems
 
The Cobalt survey allows our organization to reach out to our members shortly after experiencing the retirement process.  This feedback is relevant, timely and provides the opportunity to improve our delivery of service.  Results from this survey have led to real change.             
     -School Employees’ Retirement System of Ohio
 
The ability to benchmark against other public funds AND the private sector is great!        
     -Illinois Municipal Retirement Fund
 
In our community of advanced degrees for many community members, Cobalt's research established an instant credibility as scientifically & statistically quality workmanship!  
     -Midland Public Schools, MI
 
I have utilized Cobalt Community Research for several projects concerning community engagement in recent years.  I have found their work to be effective, thorough and valuable to my organization.  They are able to provide insight into long range planning and are a great benefit in the decision-making process by facilitating "community conversations.
     -School and Municipal Advisory Services, PC
 
Cobalt provides very professional, high-quality, reliable research and data that we can use to improve our processes, and ultimately, our member satisfaction.            
     -Missouri State Employees' Retirement System (MOSERS)
 
 
We enjoy the professional relationship and dependability which Cobalt provides.     
     -City of Copperas Cove, TX
 
Without the expert work conducting a mail survey by Cobalt Community Research, Saginaw ISD would not have known the views of the county voters towards a possible millage.  The survey helped the local superintendents and boards of education make a decision.  Thank you for your fine work!
     -Saginaw (MI) Intermediate School District
 
Cobalt Community Research has assisted the City in developing an effective and continuous model of outreach to stakeholders in our interest to be responsive and accountable for the public's business.
     -City of Lakeland, FL
 
Great value during difficult financial times!
     -City of Ferndale, MI
 
Cobalt has been very proactive with SEMCOG member communities regarding citizen surveys, especially designed to aid the local government make informed and data-driven budgetary and service related decisions.
     -Southeast Michigan Council of Governments (SEMCOG)
 
I find Cobalt to be the perfect research partner for our organization.
     -National Conference on Public Employee Retirement Systems (NCPERS)
 
It’s exciting to see the hard work Cobalt helped lead and coordinate turned into useful, actionable steps that will provide a strong rudder for the direction the retirement system takes, as we strive to meet the expectations of our customers in the coming years.  Each item on the action plan is a testament to an attitude of listening and customer service.
     -Michigan Office of Retirement Services
 
Cobalt has introduced a professional research instrument which provides comparative state and national benchmark data at a competitive rate. Cobalt staff has been responsive to our organization's needs and consistent in timelines and follow up. Based on our experience over the past year working with Cobalt, I would surely recommend their services to others!
     -City of Lakeland, FL

Cobalt provides exceptional value - we could not buy the high level of service and actionable results for the price. Benchmarking our school district to the ACSI (American Customer Satisfaction Index) is a wonderful opportunity for us to show value to our stakeholders, and also see where we should invest precious operating dollars for greater customer satisfaction.
     -Bloomfield Hills (MI) Schools
 
The Cobalt research program provided us with some instant eye-opening results which triggered the thought process and helped us set some organizational goals.
     -Michigan Association of Transportation Systems (MASSTrans)
 
The right questions are asked and the fact that this standardization will allow us to compare ourselves. The freedom to add district specific questions is a real plus.
     -Maple Valley (MI) Schools
 
The information we received from working with Cobalt was excellent in better understanding our organization.  I would highly recommend other municipalities to utilize Cobalt and the survey methods when making planning and budgeting decisions.
     -Charter Township of Ypsilanti, MI
 
Cobalt was able to assist in our information acquisition needs on a very short time frame, within cost parameters, and produced a useable product.
     -Marquette Charter Township, MI