James Emery was born in Schenectady, New York, in 1947. He earned a BS degree in Business Administration at the University of New Hampshire in 1970 and an MBA in Marketing from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth in 1972.
Melissa Miller was born in Evanston, Illinois, in 1949. She received a BS in Business Economics from Purdue University in 1971 and an MBA in Marketing and Finance from Northwestern in 1972.
Jim and Melissa met at work at Chesebrough-Pond’s in Greenwich, Connecticut, and were married in 1979. Shortly thereafter, they founded Viewfinder Research and conducted focus groups together for fifteen years, working in over 120 product and service categories. Jim then developed a training program on branding, working frequently with Coca-Cola marketing people from around the world, as well as with many other companies.
As the consulting business grew, Melissa focused on serving as a volunteer in many areas in Savannah. She was one of the founding members of the Savannah Philharmonic and served as Board Chairman for five years and as interim Executive Director. She was also President of Greenbrier Children’s Center and served a Board member for several years. She was a founding member of Friends of Music and the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus.
Melissa served on the Krannert Business School Alumni Board for six years and was named Alumna of the Year by the Krannert School at Purdue in 2000. Currently, she serves on the Boards of Kiwanis Club of Skidaway, the Media Research Center (MRC) in Herndon, Virginia, and as a member of the Council for National Policy in Washington, D.C.
Jim has served on several boards in Savannah, including the Lucas Theatre, Bethesda Academy, Savannah Music Festival, The Marshes of Skidaway, and Savannah Christian Prep School.
The Emerys established the Jim and Melissa Emery Business History Initiative Fund in 2025 to encourage a deeper understanding of the free-market system and the benefits of capitalism.