Origins of NAPBS
The original meeting in DC to form NAPBS

If you know me professionally then you know I have been very passionate about the National Association of Professional Background Screeners (NAPBS) for many years.  This trade association has become an important voice for the entire background screening industry both to the public and the government. I couldn’t be prouder of the many accomplishments that have been made in 15 years. NAPBS started with an idea, when a group of like-minded competitors gathered in a room with one mission-to elevate our industry and create a higher standard for companies in the background screening industry.

We met at a background screeners conference in Tampa, Florida in late 2001, early 2002 and set forth in developing the framework needed to create a trade association. It wasn’t long after that many of us met in Washington D.C. and locked ourselves in a room with the shared aim to form a brand new 501(C)(6) by the time we left. We reached that goal with the assistance of a hired consulting firm and suddenly, NAPBS was born.  Some of the best minds in the industry collaborated in this meeting including, Lester Rosen, Dan Stevens, Sandra Burns, Derek Hinton and myself. With representation from companies of all sizes, each of us shared a passion and desire to standardize an industry that was fragmented at the time.

I had the honor of being a part of the first official Board of Directors in 2003 and served as Co-Chairman with Mary Poquette formerly of Verifications, Inc. in 2004–a journey I will never forget. However, the journey did not go without running into several barriers. We were a new organization that already had hundreds of members and struggled to make our name known in the HR community and Washington D.C.

We had to overcome increased scrutiny from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) due to a well publicized data breach, in addition to working to convince those already skeptical of an industry unfamiliar to them. Fortunately, the NAPBS was well-represented by diligent members who formed committees tasked to develop a framework for an accreditation program and other initiatives. They accomplished this by developing position papers and documents that would communicate best practices in our industry. We had over 14 committees at the time, each working for the greater good of our industry, while simultaneously running businesses of their own.

Fast forward to today (fifteen years later) and our organization has become a mature, structured and relevant trade association. Today we are represented in Washington D.C. by not only talented Federal lobbyists but also a firm that tracks things on a Statewide basis too.

The success of NAPBS has been marked by:

  • Today, NAPBS is called on by law makers from both the state and federal levels.
  • The media looks to our association to speak as one voice on behalf of the background screening industry.
  • We have over 103 companies that have been accredited by NAPBS and more are going through the process every month. (Not all members are eligible to be accredited as not all of them are Consumer Reporting Agencies)
  • NAPBS is called upon by legislatures for our expertise to testify before federal agencies.
  • We have over 850 companies included in our membership, which has spread across the globe

Many of us “old timers” have moved on from our seats on the NAPBS Board (I personally served from 2003 – 2009) but we remain just as passionate about maintaining the highest of standards in our industry.  I couldn’t be prouder of the organization NAPBS has become and more importantly those who have helped along the way.

To learn more about NAPBS, please visit www.napbs.org.