Westat



Westat is an employee-owned research corporation centered in Rockville, Maryland. It serves most agencies of the United States Government as well as many other businesses, foundations, universities, and state and local governments. Since its founding in 1961, Westat has been one of the foremost contract research organizations in the United States.

The word Westat is a contraction, coming from the phrase "Western Statistics."

Capabilities
Westat has conducted studies on a diverse range of topics:
 * Health conditions and expenditures
 * Academic achievement and literacy
 * Medical treatments and outcomes
 * Exposure assessments
 * Program participation
 * Employment and earnings
 * Respondent knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors

They have the expertise and capabilities to perform major survey research projects, including:
 * Study design and analysis
 * Methodology
 * Survey data collection
 * Information technology
 * Web evaluation and design.

Program areas
Westat's program areas include health and medical studies; clinical trials; employment, training, and national service; alcohol, tobacco, and other drug studies; housing; energy; education; science and technology; transportation; environmental protection; military human resources; customer satisfaction surveys; organizational and personnel studies; and consulting services and marketing research.

Statistical software
Westat has developed two statistical software products, WesVar and Blaise.

WesVar
WesVar is a software package that computes estimates and replicate variance estimates for data collected using complex sampling and estimation procedures. Complete information is available at the WesVar page.

Blaise
Westat is the distributor in the U.S. and Canada for the Blaise family of software, a complete survey processing system. Complete information is available at the Blaise home page.

Employee ownership
Westat is an employee-owned corporation. All employees can earn a share of ownership through the Westat Employee Stock Ownership Plan. Since the introduction of the plan in 1977, the value of employee holdings has grown with our success as a research organization and with the growth of staff. Stock earned through the Employee Stock Ownership Plan supplements other fringe benefits, which include a 401(k) plan, health and life insurance, and vacation, holiday, and sick time. Advanced degrees and professional development activities are supported by reimbursement for approved college courses and for attendance at professional meetings.

Sites
Westat's headquarters is in Rockville, Maryland. The city hosts 1,800 employees in eight buildings on Research Boulevard and one on West Montgomery Avenue. An additional 1,100 employees are located in research offices and telephone research center facilities.

Research offices:
 * Bethesda, Maryland
 * Raleigh, North Carolina
 * Atlanta, Georgia
 * Houston, Texas

Telephone interviewing, field operations, and survey data processing:
 * Rockville, Maryland
 * Gaithersburg, Maryland
 * Frederick, Maryland
 * Sacramento, California
 * Merced, California
 * Chambersburg, Pennsylvania
 * Greeley, Colorado
 * Sarasota, Florida
 * Numerous other field supervisory locations throughout the United States