About Us
The Data Experts You Can Trust
Who We Are
RDSolutions, formerly RetailData, drives Total Brand Excellence and optimizes every customer touchpoint for brands and retailers. Headquartered in Richmond, Virginia, RDSolutions was founded in 1988 and has thousands of employees across the world and unparalleled field coverage across North America. RDSolutions is a wholly-owned subsidiary of The Markel Group, a Fortune 500 company.
The Evolution of RDSolutions
With 35 years of experience, RDSolutions stands out as the market’s only solution that can not only monitor and real-time analyze the many dimensions critical to your brand, but we actually have teams that can be dispatched near real-time to resolve our findings. With our highly configurable intelligence platform in conjunction with our thousands of technical and field resources, we are your sole partner in driving Brand Excellence. Knowing there is a problem is helpful; solving a problem is invaluable!
RDSolutions is the culmination of the in-store and online experience of three legacy tools—RDSolutions, Intrics, and Infoquest—into a comprehensive end-to-end retail solution. By combining the three, we boast an unrivaled retail pedigree and have used that expertise to develop a solution designed especially to tackle challenges in today’s agile retail market.
RDSOLUTIONS HISTORY
1988
Retail Data founded
Our story began with the founding of Retail Data, a company dedicated to providing actionable insights and retail analytics. From the start, we focused on empowering brands and retailers with data-driven solutions that make an impact on the ground.
2010
Acquired by Markel Ventures
In 2010, we took a significant step forward when Retail Data was acquired by Markel Ventures. This partnership fueled our growth, enabling us to expand our capabilities and reach, while further investing in cutting-edge technology and talent.
2011
Lunch of e-Commerce Division
As the retail landscape evolved, we saw the opportunity to support the growing e-commerce sector. We launched our E-commerce Division to offer tailored solutions that help retailers and manufacturers optimize their digital presence and drive sales in online markets.
2020
Intrics India Development Center
In 2020, we expanded our global footprint with the opening of our India Development Center. This milestone allowed us to tap into a diverse talent pool and enhance our technology and service offerings to better support our clients’ needs.
2021
Intrics Intelligence Platform (IP)
In 2021, we introduced Intrics, our state-of-the-art intelligence platform. Intrics combines powerful data analytics with real-time reporting to provide unparalleled insights into retail performance, driving smarter decision-making across the supply chain.
2022
Competitive Tracking, Custom Alerts
To help our clients stay ahead of the competition, we launched Competitive Tracking and Custom Alerts—key tools that provide real-time updates on competitor pricing, promotions, and inventory, ensuring our clients are always informed and agile in the marketplace.
2023
Circular Intelligence, Product 360, DIY Extracts, Promotional Alerts
Our commitment to continuous innovation led to the release of Circular Intelligence, Product 360, DIY Extracts, and Promotional Alerts. These tools are designed to help clients stay ahead of shifting market trends, streamline product management, and gain deep insights into customer preferences.
2024
Linking, Price Management, InfoQuest, Product 360 Mobile, Assortment
As our product portfolio grew, we added new features like Linking, Price Management, InfoQuest, Product 360 Mobile, and Assortment to enhance functionality. These additions expanded our offering, allowing clients to manage their retail operations more effectively with flexible, real-time solutions.
2025
Rebrand from Retail Data to RDSolutions
To better reflect our evolution and our broader vision for the future, we rebranded from Retail Data to RDSolutions. This rebrand marks a new chapter in our journey - one where we serve both retailers and manufacturers with a full spectrum of solutions, offering everything from retail audits to competitive tracking and agile merchandising solutions.
Leadership Team
Jacob Blondin
President, CEO
Jacob Blondin joined RDSolutions (formerly Retail Data) in 2015, initially leading the company's strategic initiatives as Vice President. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2019 and became CEO and President in 2020. Since his arrival, Jacob has played a key role in expanding Jacob Blondin joined RDSolutions (formerly Retail Data) in 2015, initially leading the company's strategic initiatives as Vice President. He was promoted to Chief Operating Officer in 2019 and became CEO and President in 2020. Since his arrival, Jacob has played a key role in expanding RDSolutions’ field operations across the U.S. and Canada, leading the company’s transformation into a technology-driven leader in retail competitive intelligence. Under his leadership, RDSolutions has enhanced its ability to deliver actionable insights on pricing, promotions, and assortment differences between in-store and online channels.
With a career focused on optimization and innovation, Jacob brings deep experience from technology-driven industries. He began his career as an industrial process engineer at Intel, before moving into leadership positions within the bioenergy sector, where he managed operations, acquisitions, and engineering teams. His diverse background in both engineering and strategic leadership has been instrumental in shaping RDSolutions’ evolution into an industry leader.
Lee Kalman
Chief Commercial Officer
Lee Kallman is the Chief Commercial Officer at RDSolutions, where he has played a key role since joining in 2016. With over 30 years of marketing experience across a broad range of industries, including retail analytics, B2B, franchising, and international sports, Lee has a proven Lee Kallman is the Chief Commercial Officer at RDSolutions, where he has played a key role since joining in 2016. With over 30 years of marketing experience across a broad range of industries, including retail analytics, B2B, franchising, and international sports, Lee has a proven track record in driving sales and marketing strategies for companies. Prior to RDSolutions, Lee served as Vice President of Marketing and Development for Richmond 2015, Inc., the non-profit organization behind the 2015 UCI Road World Championships. He also held leadership positions at prestigious marketing agencies, including Ogilvy.
At RDSolutions, Lee leads all client-facing aspects of the organization, overseeing the Retail Strategy and Client Success teams, and guiding the company’s product roadmap. He has been instrumental in shaping the company’s omni-channel solutions for brands and retailers, and his leadership has been key in helping the company address brand-critical issues across North America and e-commerce channels.
Vivek Varma
VP of Solution Delivery
Vivek Varma is the Vice President of Solution Delivery at RD Solutions, where he plays a key role in shaping the company’s technology strategy and overseeing the delivery of innovative, tech-driven solutions. With 20 years in the IT industry, Vivek specializes in strategy development, Vivek Varma is the Vice President of Solution Delivery at RD Solutions, where he plays a key role in shaping the company’s technology strategy and overseeing the delivery of innovative, tech-driven solutions. With 20 years in the IT industry, Vivek specializes in strategy development, international team management, and stakeholder collaboration, ensuring the seamless execution of complex projects. In his current role, Vivek aligns RD Solutions' offerings with emerging industry trends and evolving client needs, driving exceptional outcomes.
Before joining RD Solutions, Vivek lead the acquisition and integration of Loginworks, significantly enhancing RD Solutions' technological capabilities. Prior to that, he worked at Perot Systems and Dell Services, where he focused on client management and collaborated with global teams to deliver high-impact projects across diverse industries. His leadership in these roles helped streamline technology delivery and optimize business processes.
Vivek's career began as a Software Developer, and he has since progressed through various leadership positions, developing deep expertise in both technology and business. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Andhra University and an MBA from Kelley School of Business, Indiana University With a strong foundation in both fields, Vivek continues to drive RD Solutions’ growth and innovation strategy.
Global Presence
Global Presence
Headquarters : USA
Global Capability Center : INDIA
Regional Business Presence : CANADA, UK
Our Culture and Values
Everything we do is driven by our customers. We prioritize their needs and strive to exceed their expectations in every interaction. Our commitment to innovation and doing good is rooted in our desire to offer solutions that truly benefit and empower our customers.
We pride ourselves on delivering the highest quality data and service in the industry. Our commitment to accuracy ensures that our clients can make confident, informed decisions based on reliable information.
At RDSolutions, integrity is not just a word — it’s a way of doing business. We understand that partnering with us for data collection often means sharing proprietary and sensitive information, which is why we promise to never share information about our clients or the data they have us collect.
For over three decades, we've been pioneers in data collection, evolving from pen-and-paper collection methods to cutting-edge scraping algorithms. Today, we're shaping the future of data collection with in-house developers, crafting powerful research apps for all to use.
We strive for excellence in everything we do. From the quality of our data collection to the expertise of our team, we never settle for mediocrity. Our commitment to excellence sets us apart and positions us as a trusted leader in the data intelligence industry.
At RDSolutions, we embody a strong sense of ownership and strive to make a meaningful impact on our clients' success. We are committed to taking ownership of their needs and delivering exceptional solutions that drive positive outcomes.
By the Numbers
35 Years
of data collection experience
65,000+
weekly online audits
Thousands...
of weekly in-store audits
500B+
normalized data points collected weekly
