Dr. Nora Ganim Barnes, Director, UMass Dartmouth Center for Marketing Research (CMR), announced recently the addition of two new CMR Board members. She said, “The CMR is pleased to announce that two members of the area business community have joined the CMR Advisory Board. Each of them brings to the board an incredible background of knowledge, wisdom, and experience that provides a unique blend of business success and organizational leadership. The Center hopes to benefit from their proven leadership capabilities as the Center continues to grow and expand its  service to our business community.”

Peter T. Kavanaugh: Is the Owner and President of New England’s first La-Z-Boy Furniture Gallery, in Dartmouth, MA. He is also the owner of Kavanaugh Development Group which has founded and developed numerous commercial and residential real estate projects throughout the Southcoast of Massachusetts and Rhode Island. 

Mr. Kavanaugh  has an impressive history of community involvement: He is a Board Member and President of the New Bedford Water Front Historic Area League (WHALE), an Organization founded in the early 1960s, to save some of New Bedford’s historic buildings from trends towards “urban renewal.” As a Board Member, he Wrote legislation and lobbied in Washington with Senators and Congressmen for the official designation of the New Bedford Whaling Historic National Park. As President, he oversaw numerous restoration projects in the New Bedford Historic District, as well as the implementation and general management plan for the new park. Other involvement includes: Member, Greater New Bedford Industrial Foundation;  Commodore, New Bedford Yacht Club; Chairman, Dartmouth School  Building Committee Study Group; Mr. Kavanaugh was the Standard-Times 1999Man Of The Year; and the Greater New Bedford Chamber of Commerce’s 1999 Business Hall Of Fame Inductee.

Mr. Kavanaugh said, "I am honored to be asked to serve on such a prestigious board. The CMR does great things for business in the Southcoast as well as our students."

Lewis A. White is the owner and President of Bobcat of Cape Cod, formerly Great Rock Tractor Company, where he was a member of the Board of Directors since its founding in 1968.  Bobcat of Cape Cod, located in Buzzards Bay, sells, services, and rents compact mobile equipment in Bristol, southern Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties.

Prior to acquiring the assets of Great Rock Tractor Company, Mr. White was a senior high tech executive for companies developing and supporting innovative high performance software and systems for affinity marketing, mass customization manufacturing, electronic design automation, and image processing applications.  His previous positions include President and COO of Micro Enhancements International (Spokane, WA); Senior Vice President of Engineering for Dazix (Boulder, Colorado); Senior Vice President of Technology of Astarte (a venture capital / incubator company in Boulder, Colorado); Vice President of Software Engineering for Atex (an Eastman Kodak company in Bedford, Massachusetts); and Director of Software Engineering for Gerber Scientific Products (South Windsor, Connecticut).

Mr. White is a graduate of Lawrence High School in Falmouth, of Northeastern University in Boston, and did graduate work in computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.  He currently resides in New Bedford.

Mr. White said,“Bobcat of Cape Cod has benefited directly from CMR studies and the initiatives launched by Dr. Barnes.  I am honored to join the CMR board and look forward to helping find ways in which small for-profit businesses and CMR can benefit the local economy and each other through mutually leveraged efforts in the pursuit of common interests.”

CMR Mission – To facilitate the economic development of the region by providing an affordable, high-quality economic alternative to meeting business and not-for-profit needs for marketing research - umassd.edu/cmr

UMass Dartmouth

The Office of Public Affairs, reporting directly to the Chancellor, is responsible for coordinating the strategic communications and advocacy strategies of the campus.

The office oversees media relations and publications, and works closely with the web development, alumni affairs, fundraising, admissions, and academic units to tell the UMass Dartmouth story in a manner that builds public and private support; and attracts talented faculty, students, and staff to campus.

View all articles by UMass Dartmouth