As market analysts and consultants, Tracy Cross & Associates serves primarily the residential homebuilding community with clientele throughout the United States.
Our extensive experience in the homebuilding market enables us to perform as more than just market researchers; we are marketing consultants who are able to marry product to the data that emerges from our research.
Our painstaking examination of psychographic and demographic information enables us to paint a detailed picture of the optimal target market segment that a particular project should address, from their age ranges and income levels to their lifestyle preferences.
We go beyond just collecting data and presenting page after page of statistics; we make those numbers talk and provide insight into consumer psyches and into the dynamics of the marketplace—insights that enable our clients to clearly define a precise position in the marketplace.
How many of these situations sound familiar?
You’ve acquired a promising parcel of land.
How do you determine the site’s best use? Which target market segment will maximize its development potential? What lot sizes, square footages, bedroom/bathroom/amenity packages, and price-points best fit that segment? What features will provide a competitive edge? What mix of models and option variations will generate the greatest volume of incremental sales? And what absorption rates can you expect if you take these steps?
The housing market in your geographic area has matured.
How can you uncover new, untapped opportunities that might not be widely recognized yet? What about new ideas and designs developed in other parts of the country that could be successfully adapted for your local market?
You are concerned that an economic slowdown—or even a recession—looms ahead.
How might a downturn affect the different segments of the residential real estate market and what steps should you take-e.g. adjustments in product lines, price points—that will best position you for that situation?
You are planning to address a new market segment or enter into a new geographic market.
How do you learn the details of that competitive environment? What are the dynamics at work in the new market and where is that market headed?
Our Team
G. Tracy Cross
Founder
Tracy Cross founded Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. in 1980, a national residential market analysis firm established in 1980. Based in Schaumburg, Illinois, the company provides critical feasibility, product planning, marketing, and business strategy services for builders, developers, and their financial partners. The company also furnishes its knowledge and understanding of the residential market to counties, municipalities, and various government agencies.
A veteran in the real estate industry for over 40 years, Tracy has served in both management and analytical capacities on a wide variety of assignments conducted by his firm. He began his career as an industry economist with the Department of Housing and Urban Development in Washington, D.C. and held vice-president positions with the Larwin Group in California, the Hoffman Group in the Chicago area, and Home Data Corporation also based in northeastern Illinois.
Mr. Cross earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Economics from Santa Clara University and a Master’s degree in Regional and Urban Economics from the University of California at Los Angeles. He has conducted numerous seminars and continues to contribute as a speaker and workshop leader at national and local conferences sponsored by the National Association of Home Builders, the Urban Land Institute, Lambda Alpha International, and the Chicago Association of Commerce and Industry.
He also has served as guest lecturer at the University of Illinois, UCLA, the University of Wisconsin and Roosevelt University and has been widely quoted in the Chicago Tribune, the Chicago Sun Times, Crain’s Chicago Business, and a host of trade journals and publications.
Erik A. Doersching
President & CEO
Erik A. Doersching, President and Chief Executive Officer of Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc., has been a member of the firm since 1989. He is currently responsible for all aspects of economic and competitive analysis, and is the project coordinator for each feasibility assignment contracted by the firm.
Mr. Doersching’s involvement in this industry has taken him throughout the Midwest, Northeast, Southeast, and Western markets of the United States. He has participated in projects which include large-scale planned unit developments in Texas, Florida, North Carolina, and the Washington, D.C. area, marina-oriented development, active adult communities, senior housing, country club communities and various urban and suburban infill developments.
Mr. Doersching holds a B.A. degree in Communications from St. Norbert College, DePere, Wisconsin and is a member of the National Association of Home Builders, ULI, and the honorary land economics society of Lambda Alpha International.
HollyAnn Eageny
Executive Vice President & COO
HollyAnn Eageny, Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, joined Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. in 1993. She is responsible for the coordination of all aspects of economic and competitive analyses conducted by the firm, and continues to author project specific feasibility assignments as well as strategic planning initiatives for the company’s builder and developer clientele.
Ms. Eageny’s experience includes numerous large-scale master-planned communities, urban infill and redevelopment initiatives in both the public and private sector; as well as specialized analyses of the complex income-qualified affordable, active adult, congregate retirement, and special needs housing subsets in markets throughout the country. She also serves as corporate liaison for several regional divisions of the firm’s nationally-based clientele.
During her tenure, Ms. Eageny has been instrumental in formulating strategies and procedures to refine the presentation of the firm’s consulting and market analyses abilities, and coordinates new business inquiries and contract initiation for the company. She is a member of the Management Committee, and is directly involved in mentoring and managing the firm’s analytical staff.
Ms. Eageny graduated summa cum laude from George Williams College with a Bachelor of Science in Business Leadership and a Bachelor of Arts in English Studies. She is a member of the Urban Land Institute, the National Association of Home Builders, the Home Builders Association of Greater Chicago, and several civic organizations. Prior to joining Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc., Ms. Eageny had five years consumer marketing experience with Jacobs Suchard USA.
Our Alliance Partner
An alliance partner of Tracy Cross & Associates, Inc. is BSB Design (formerly Bloodgood Sharp Buster Architects & Planners, Inc.) with 11 offices nationwide.
This alliance enables a unique level of national architectural and community design services to our client base. By connecting real consumer preferences to actual design, we directly link measurable market segments with the communities where they want to live.