Business Profile: Screen Assist: Records checks help businesses make wise hires

Michael Konrad has spent a decade screening job applicants, and his company, Screen Assist, is about to enter its third year of operation.

But when he first got into the business, Konrad was somewhat uncomfortable with the whole idea of checking into people’s backgrounds.

It wasn’t long until he had a case that vividly illustrated the value of what he does.

“I had to tell someone that an applicant had been convicted of voluntary manslaughter and hadn’t mentioned it,” Konrad said. “He almost didnÕt believe me, but I showed him the records.”

Konrad said he never again questioned the importance of what he does-using public records to learn about such things as criminal background, driving history, education and professional license verification.

“Over the last 11 years, I’ve screened a lot of people you would not want to find yourself in the same office with,” he said. “Sometimes it is about safety, and other times it is just about making sure people are being honest.”

Konrad’s experience with background checks started in 1997, when he was hired by the Missouri Hospital Association to create and market a screening program for use by the association’s member hospitals. The need arose because of a new law requiring criminal background checks for healthcare workers with direct patient contact.

“After about six months, we could see that the program was profitable for MHA,” Konrad said. “Members were seeing the value of the criminal background checks and were starting to ask for other services. While I was at MHA we did almost one million background checks in 10 years.”

Nearly ten years later, in October 2006, Konrad left the program he created at MHA and started his own background screening business, technically referred to as a “consumer reporting agency.”

Screen Assist officially opened January 2007.

Konrad said getting started was difficult. “January 3 came around and it was just like ‘Oh my god, I have a company. I’d better start going out and selling.’

I can tell you that I thought it was going to be a lot easier than it was.”

He was listening to the radio one morning when he heard Mary Paulsell, director of the University Center for Innovation of Entrepreneurship at the University of Missouri, talking about the work they do to support small businesses. He called her that day and immediately began working with them to refine his business plan.

“Jim Gann asked me what my biggest obstacle was, and I told him that I wasn’t having much success getting clients,” Konrad said.

That meeting led to a referral to Kat Cunningham at MoreSource, which soon became Screen AssistÕs first client. “They are a very good client to have.”

Sheila Johnson, a human resources specialist at MoreSource, said they use Screen Assist with many of their clients.

“More and more of our clients are using a background service to get a better fit with their employees,” Johnson said. “How we use the service really depends on the industry.”

Konrad said working with MoreSource made all the difference for him. “Once I had that first client, for some reason, it was easier to get in front of people and make the sale,” he said. “Being on my own is a lot different from my time with MHA. With Screen Assist, I got the drum on my back, the symbols between my knees, a horn in my mouth… it’s crazy.”

Konrad said business has grown steadily. He is still able to work mostly out of his home, but his client base has grown to more than 30. It includes primarily Columbia-based companies, such as ABC Laboratories, Missouri Employers Mutual Insurance, the Missouri State High School Activities Association and eNet Payroll Solutions.

Screen Assist also includes several out-of-state clients, coming to him from as far away as New Hampshire and Connecticut, who have primarily found him through word-of-mouth. “They hear about me because of my work with MHA,” he said.

Screen Assist relies heavily on the Web. Clients use a secure site to submit requests and receive the reports they have requested. They receive e-mail alerts when reports are ready, with hyperlinks to the information they need.

Konrad is particularly proud of something he does, which he calls unique in the business: “Whenever possible, we provide scanned copies of original documents, such as arrest records and driving histories. It helps ensure that the information we provide is accurate,” he said.

Konrad added, “That’s how I try to build my business-through customer service, a sense of urgency, attention to detail. These are very important to have when you are dealing with information an employer will use to decide whether or not an individual is the right person to hire. I take that extremely
seriously.”