James David Power III is the founder of J.D. Power & Associates, a California-based market research firm and one of the most recognizable names in the industry and to American consumers. Power, 83, recently spoke with Globe correspondent Taryn Luna. Here’s what she found out:
“My father was a fan of the Boston Red Sox. I spent a lot of time taking the bus from Worcester to Kenmore Square. My uncle would get us tickets to the doubleheaders and we would watch Ted Williams.”
“My grandfather was the first James David. My father was James David Jr. I am the third. My son, Jamie, is the fourth, and my grandson is the fifth. “
Advertisement
“Once you graduate from the officer training school, they give you three choices of locations. I picked Florida, Southern California, and Hawaii. And I ended up on an icebreaker in Boston. It could have had something to do with me barely getting through the course.”
“I was only in the closing scene as a shadow as the sun went down. I was standing watch on the wing of the bridge. There was red sunset in the background. It’s only a shadow. Black against the red sky.”
“We started on the kitchen table with the three kids, a fourth one on the way. My wife did the tabulations for me. My kids folded the questionnaires and cover letters and put a quarter on it using Scotch Tape [an incentive to complete the survey] and stuffed the envelopes. As we grew we called anyone that worked there an associate.”
“Lo and behold we were in nearly every newspaper in the world and on the radio in 24 hours. The name J.D. Power started to get a lot of recognition.”
“The one I’m driving. A 2003 Mercury Marauder. It’s the police package and looks like a police car. It’s rear-wheel drive. It has exceptional acceleration and steering. I’ve had it for 10 years now, and I’ve only got 50,000 miles on it. I like it because it doesn’t have all those fancy push-buttons and touchscreens and all that. I just get in, turn the key, and drive off.”
Advertisement
Taryn Luna can be reached at taryn.luna@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @tarynluna