Maritz Marketing Research Inc., St. Louis, has received the 1998 Marketing Excellence Award from Ford Motor Company in recognition of outstanding service and performance. This is the sixth year in a row that Maritz has earned the honor.

Forrester Research, Inc., Cambridge, Mass., has opened its European Research Center in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Forrester Research B.V. will serve as a hub from which Forrester will assess how emerging technologies will affect business developments taking place in the European Union. The European Research Center will also propel Forrester’s European sales effort, previously conducted through its U.S.-based offices in Cambridge, Mass., and resellers in Europe.

New York-based Audits & Surveys Worldwide has opened a new office, Audits & Surveys Europe, Ltd., in Dublin, Ireland. Anne Hastings will head the new office, which is located at 26 Upper Pembroke St., Dublin 2, Ireland.

Symmetrics Marketing Corp. has moved to 4820 S. Mill Ave., Suite 200, Tempe, Ariz.

David’s Phone Center has moved to a new location, allowing it to increase capacity from 48 to 74 CATI stations. The new address is 505 Pershing, Pocatello, Idaho.

Colwell & Salmon Communications, Inc., an Albany, N.Y., telephone marketing and research firm, will open a satellite office in Glens Falls, N.Y.

Digital Marketing Services, Inc., Dallas, will conduct Web site evaluation studies for the Direct Marketing Association.

NFO Worldwide, Inc., Greenwich, Conn., has completed the acquisition of CF Group, Inc. NFO purchased 100 percent of CF’s outstanding stock for approximately $20 million (CAN), consistent with terms and conditions previously announced.

Sky Alland Marketing, Columbia, Md., is scheduled to open a customer communications center in Milwaukee this month at 4915 South Howell.

Market Development Inc., has opened new offices at 600 B St., Suite 1600, San Diego, Calif.

For the first time since 1993, ACNielsen, Stamford, Conn., reported a profitable first quarter. First-quarter net income rose $5.9 million, or $0.10 per share, over last year, to $1.8 million, or $0.03 per diluted share, including an after-tax expense of $1.9 million, or $0.03 per share, for Year 2000 modifications. The impact of foreign currency translation lowered reported net income by $1.3 million, or $0.02 per share, for the quarter.

In separate news, the firm has announced a major expansion of its television audience rating service in China. It plans to expand its use of its PEOPLEMETER technology from a single panel now operating in Shanghai to nine other major Chinese cities over the next two years.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Market Directions, Inc., has opened a Web site.

In April, The Wall Street Journal reported Cincinnati Bell’s plans to spin off its billing and customer management businesses, including Matrixx Marketing Inc., and its Matrixx Marketing Research division, into a new company called Convergys.

Intellipost Corp., San Francisco, a loyalty marketing firm, is expanding its BonusMail opt-in advertising service to include a set of market research tools provided by New York-based CLT Research Associates.

Greensboro, N.C.-based Homer Market Research Associates, Inc., has acquired T&K Research Centres, Inc., Atlanta.

Mintz & Hoke Inc., an Avon, Conn., advertising firm, has formed Advantage Field & Focus, a focus group facility with recruitment and field research services. The firm is located at 40 Tower Lane, Avon, Conn.

Information Resources, Inc., Chicago, announced first-quarter 1998 net. earnings of $1.9 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, compared to essentially break-even results in the first quarter of 1997. For the first quarter ended-March 31, consolidated revenues were $119.2 million, up 13 percent over the first quarter of 1997. Revenues from the company’s U.S. businesses were $94.6 million, an increase of 10 percent compared to $86.1 million for the corresponding 1997 quarter.

ICT Group, Inc., Langhorne, Pa., reported revenues for the three months ended March 31 were $27.0 million, a 32 percent increase compared to revenues of $20.5 million for the first quarter of 1997. Net income rose 41 percent to $666,000 from $473,000 in 1997 and operating income increased 65 percent to $1.1 million for the first quarter of 1998 from $637,000 in the same period in 1997. Diluted earnings per share for the quarter ended March 31 increased 50 percent to $0.06 per share from $0.04 per share in the first quarter of 1997.