Your chance to talk to Corporate America

Ever wonder how companies come up with products or services?

And if they had just asked, you could have told them what you really thought about it?

Now, here's your chance.

Carol Stream-based StartSampling.com has partnered with Madison, Wis.-based Xyte to form InsightExchangeTeam.com where consumers can participate in survey panels, said StartSampling.com CEO Larry Burns.

"This gives you a chance to have a voice in Corporate America," Burns said.

Currently, the panel has about 13,000 registered members. But the site is looking for roughly 250,000 or more participants, he said.

StartSampling.com started in 1998 and today features samples, coupons and other information for products by Procter & Gamble, Kraft, Colgate and many others. The firm now has about 60 employees that distribute about a half-million of those name-brand samples to consumers each week. People can try any number of health and beauty, food or home care products.

Now, the Web site is teaming with Xyte, a behavioral research organization, to help those corporations enforce their marketing measures even more.

If you're interested in participating, go to InsightExchangeTeam.com to register and take the initial questionnaire. It takes about 10 to 15 minutes and focuses on skills, behavioral preferences and interests. After that initial portion, the site will give you a 15-page profile on yourself, Burns said.

Using the results of the online assessment and an evaluation system, the panelists are put into one of 16 behavioral segments. This and other follow-up surveys can help marketers tailor their advertising or products.

All personal information will be kept confidential and none of its will sold. Consumers also won't be asked to buy anything, he said.

"This panels helps teach the brands more about how I would like or don't like something," Burns said.

Surfing: Lombard-based FSI Technologies Inc. (www.fsinet.com) has marked its 50th anniversary. It began as a manufacturer of precision tuning fork time standards for the military. It has since focused on factory automation services and products, including encoders and sensors.

• Northport, N.Y.-based CardBrowser has partnered with Lake Barrington-based KB Data Services Inc. for its marketing and selling of the CardBrowser.com service in the Chicago area. CardBrowser is used by software companies, IT Consulting and other firms.

• Itasca-based Nextend LLC was featured last week on CNN Headline News' The Economic Report. Nextend was founded in 2002 and takes old technology devices and recovers valuable parts, and revalues and remarkets them. For a look, see www.nextendllc.com/nextendllcvideo.php.