NAPBS 2013 Annual Conference

NAPBS 2013 Annual Conference, Phoenix, Arizona September 2013

NAPBS membership is up to 790.  Almost 800!  Strength through numbers!  Did you know that 13% are non-USA based members?

This conference was the best yet, celebrating ten years.  Dean Carras and his committee of volunteers along with our association management group (IMI) were on top of everything and they classed it up, especially in giving special recognition to the ten past chairs of NAPBS, without whom there would be no association representing you.

– Les Rosen and David Hein

– Jason Morris

– Mary Poquette

– Bob Capwell

– Art Cohen

– Larry Lambeth

– Dan Shoemaker

– Laura Randazzo

– Theresa Preg

– Fred Giles

– Judith Goodkind (the incoming chair)

Great attendance at this 10^th annual conference, the first annual conference since the spring of 2012:

The committees and napbs have accomplished a ton of work this past year.  If you think people are not working hard (volunteering) to accomplish things for the industry, read their meeting minutes.

If you are not a member, it is time you rethink this.

The annual NAPBS budget is about $1,000,000.  Contribute, join, learn, be active, benefit.

Governments (federal, state and local), continue to make decisions that impact your business.  As a member of napbs you contribute to our legal costs to defend you before all these uninformed, misinformed and biased legislators.

Industry Trends:

The mood of the attendees was upbeat.  There is nothing like a good economy to boost sales, profits and moods.

Technology is still key to success in this industry:  Better operating platforms, better and easier interface with providers, better and easier computer interfaces with clients, better interface with ATS and HRIS, and automated direct-to-the-court data retrievers.

International continues to grow their screening and NAPBS is in the process of forming a direction to create international standards for integrity and compliance.

Stuff:

The reception on Sunday night was again excellent.  Fastest five hours ever.  From 5-6pm was a new member meet and greet and very well attended with about 40 people signing up to work on committees. Then 6-7 for the opening ceremony and then 7-10 on the exhibit floor with food, open bar, exhibitors, networking, information exchange, old and new friends, hugs and handshakes.  We really have a good bunch of people in our industry.

Monday night was open and several companies entertained their clients.  Everyone had a nice place to go with good entertainment and good food and activity continued on in the hotel bar with dancing and talking and sharing until the wee hours.

Tuesday night was dueling pianos.  A very successful evening with lots of laughs, a bit of dancing (a lot more than just a “bit” for those 25 diehards that kept priming the talent to keep on playing so we could keep on dancing), dinner and a cocktail or two, all planned by NAPBS and, of course sponsored by an industry supplier.  Photo evidence of those exuberant folks is available.

Seems to be attorney consensus growing about which state rule to follow for when the client and the applicant and the place of employment are all in different states with differing laws regarding how far back you can report crimes.  The conclusion is, since these are all consumer protection laws, it is the state in which the consumer will be working that would be the basis for deciding which state law to use.

Also, IL recently changed their PI laws such that any CRA and any employees of that CRA that touch a consumer report must be a PI in IL.  At least this is one attorney’s opinion.

Be aware of the reference fakers at careerexcuse.com

People Stuff:

Remember BackgroundScreeningJobs.com.

– Allison Sestak had twin boys

– Christian Moore is now with RedRidge Finance Group

– Steve Gonzalez is now with ScreeningOne

– David Nadell is now with FRASCO

– Everyone with Lexis is now with FADV with the acquisition by FADV

– Carl Cogdill has moved to Talentwise, Director of Operations

– Chris Courtney attended his first conference with County House Research (we helped sell his company to them)

– Larry White is now with e-Verify

Company News:

Graymark Security Group was acquired by another screening company (we acted as intermediary).

Ardor Agency was also acquired by a competitor.

Conference Presentations:

Some great topics.  I have not seen the stats yet, but all seemed to be very well attended and feedback was mostly positive with no major complaints.  Here are just a few:

– Risk Mitigation/Litigation Avoidance

– Essential Role of an ATS in the Background Screening World

– Providers Prospective-Top 5 questions you should ask

– Criminal Record Issues for Resident Screeners

– Use of Social Media in Background Checks

– What every CRA Needs to Know about FCRA Compliance

– Hair and Oral Fluid Drug Testing

– EEOC’s Guidance, One Year Later

– Accreditation, Personal Experiences of the Process

– Market Environment for the Screening Industry

– Avoiding Class Action Liability

– Compliance vs. Sales, Who is Winning in your company

– And many more

Some notes from an education session I attended on Tenant Screening: Laws for Multi-Family Housing preventing criminal offenders from living in such facilities has achieved significant results in lowering crime rates.  To us this is no revelation, to any sound thinking person, this is no revelation!  They kept the bad guys out of these housing complexes and crime went down.  Also, a pre-adverse action notice is NOT required for tenant screening.

The annual Town Hall meeting to provide the membership with the status of NAPBS was scheduled for 50 minutes and after 25 minutes of presentation of facts, progress and dues increase announcements, the floor was opened to questions and comments.  Everything was so well explained and so transparent there was only one small question.  Only one!  A great job by the board and a happy membership.  Yes, a happy membership even though it was announced that dues will be increasing for 2014.  This will be the first dues increase in five years and napbs needs the funds to do its legislative and other work.  Affiliate members (like me) finally will be paying comparable dues ($625 up from a woefully low $150).  The new dues schedule will be published soon.

Below is a recap of the financials.

Committees – Join one now!

– Best Practices

– Conference Committee

– Education

– Government Relations

– International

– Media Relations

– Membership

– Recruitment and Retention

– Provider

– Tenant Screening

After 18 months of outstanding work, Fred Giles is now the Outgoing Emeritus and Judy Goodkind is the new Chair.  Thanks for your service.

If you are not a NAPBS member, it’s time you rethink this, sign up today!

The Mid-Year conference will be in Washington, DC, April 6-8, 2014.  Be there.

Next year’s annual conference is in Denver, CO, Sep. 7-9, 2014.  Be there too.