Bruce’s PBSA Mid-Year 2026 Conference Report
PBSA 2026 Mid-Year Conference Report
Arlington, VA, March 29-April 1, 2026
We had a great experience at this year’s conference. 395 attendees exceeded last year’s 358 total. For us, the other exhibitors and the attendees I spoke with all felt it was a very fruitful conference and exhibit hall.
Total Attendees: 395
Attendee: 242
Exhibitors: 153
First Time Members: 59
While we go to these conferences to learn and do business, we are still missing that special person/organizations(s) willing to step up and provide the funds for a great dance band/DJ and re-create the “No Sales Zone” that was originally created by Dean Carras and paid for by Cliff Williams with Innovative. The substitute at this conference was a Monuments by Moonlight bus tour, which was reported to turn out very nice, but no dancing was reported. 😊
The Grand Hyatt in DC was a new venue for this conference. It was a beautiful hotel but, unfortunately, their restaurants were being renovated and not available. They did put up a make-shift bar for the group. Biggest negative I heard was the water pressure in the shower was very weak.
This conference consistently delivers. Over the course of two days, attendees are exposed to critical, timely, and highly informative sessions that are directly relevant to our industry. It’s a significant investment of time, but it pays off tremendously.
As a member and attendee, you gain access to valuable insights, meaningful peer discussions, and a chance to connect face-to-face with a great group of people—all while supporting your Association. The return on that investment is truly invaluable.
I won’t list every session here, but if you’re interested in the specifics, I encourage you to visit the PBSA website. If you’re in the screening industry, this is absolutely an event worth attending.
Industry Trends
Sales Growth.
- Sales growth is not happening with most CRAs. Is it because AI is starting to replace humans at the end-user? It is interesting to note that all the wholesalers said they were very happy with their sales, which were all up over last year. But I have to wonder how this could be true: If CRA sales are down, how could every wholesaler’s sales be up? Just sayin’.
- I didn’t have much time to attend the educational sessions, but one session was by a PR/marketing consultant who covered a lot about how to be sure you are maximizing the results of your marketing efforts. What particularly caught my interest was just how your company is presented to a prospective client when they Google or use AI to ask: “who is the best CRA”. Does your company name show in the Google results? Maybe more important, does your company show in the AI results report? If it does point to your website, kudos. Now, does that link go to an ACTIONABLE web page and are you capturing who is coming to your website so if they don’t take action to contact you, you can contact them immediately before they wander off to a different CRA.
Federal Searches. The report from one of the legal presenters was that PACER is still considering providing more identifiers, but their decision making is so slow it probably won’t happen in my lifetime.
Mergers & Acquisitions.
- M&A activity remains slow, continuing the trend seen in 2024 and 2025. This trend is found in the Screening Industry and globally across all industries.
- Valuations are not as strong as two or three years ago. This is true in our industry as well as worldwide.
- Make sure your bookkeeping is correct (including using Accrual, not Cash accounting) and up to the minute. If you include personal items in your expenses, be sure to be able to clearly account for these. If you are a business owner of a C-Corp, ask your accountant immediately why you are not an S-Corp or an LLC.
- Transactions since The Fall Conference
- CIC (Contemporary Information Services) was acquired by Asurint
- Confidential CRA sold clients to Atlantic Screening (Berg deal)
People, Places, Stuff
- Erica Rice moved from Cisive to VP Operations at Argus Verify
- Misty Allison moved from TrueCordis to Reliance Intellicheck Solutions
- Bruce Berger left Cisive after 30 years to go it alone at BergerESA LLC
- Andy Gubeman retired from LS Screening
- Zulay Moreno was promoted from Director of Operations to COO at SRA Screening
- Dirk Wakeham moved from Managing Director to CEO at RealPage
- Val Poltorak is the new President at Universal Background
- Tyrah Lawson moved from Vault Workforce Screening to CIChecked as Senior Director of Operations
- John Grammer is the new President & CEO at TeamScreen Solutions
- Amy (Dutra) Bricken moved from Driver IQ to VP and Operations Partner at TeamScreen Solutions
- Roi Stone got recruited from Equifax to Director, Fraud and Safety solutions at IDI
- Tyler Brewer is the new President at CRI
- Bon Idziak left iCover and is looking for his next opportunity
Advocacy Day
A key purpose of hosting the conference in Washington, DC is participation in Advocacy Day. PBSA members met with congressional representatives to discuss industry issues and provide expert insight.
This is an important opportunity for members to:
- Engage directly with policymakers
- Advocate for the industry
- Better understand how the legislative process works (or doesn’t😊)
Final Thoughts
The PBSA Mid-Year Conference remains a high-value investment for staying informed, maintaining compliance, avoiding legal risk, and navigating industry challenges.
The PBSA 2026 Annual Conference will be in Arlington, TX
Remember, PBSA is the voice of the screening industry.
Closing Note
If you have questions about the industry or are considering strategic decisions—especially selling your business—seek experienced guidance first.
We’ve completed over seven dozen transactions in the screening industry and have deep expertise in valuations and deal structuring.
Contact:
Evan Zatt Denver office 303-875-1718
