“Everything starts with a business challenge as opposed to a technological challenge,” said Jorge Calvachi. “This iconic brand is almost a hundred years old, but they have never, ever had a consumer insights function.”

Calvachi was hired about eighteen months ago as director of insights to fix that. He also calls himself an “insights rainmaker.” La-Z-Boy’s success, he said, “has been driven mostly by great quality and durability, but the competition is basically catching up. The new competitive advantage in any industry — but specifically here — is about consumer-centricity. How well do you know the consumer?”

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