Behind the Screens: Conversations with Background Screening Pros hosted by Les Rosen

Les Rosen
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"Behind the Screens" is a podcast that brings you up close and personal with the people in the background screening industry. Hosted by Les Rosen, each episode features in-depth, human-interest interviews with a diverse range of guests—including business executives, employees with extensive screening experience, vendors who serve the industry, and legal and compliance experts. These conversations dive into the personal stories and insights of those who know the industry best, offering a fresh perspective on the people driving background screening. Whether you are part of the industry or just curious, "Behind the Screens" delivers authentic, non-marketing-focused stories from the world of background checks.Your host:  Les Rosen is an Attorney, former owner of a screening firm, the chair of the steering committee that founded PBSA and the first co-chair of PBSA, as well as author of the "Safe Hiring Manual," and frequent presenter nationwide. According to attorney and industry veteran  Vince Pascarella, "For those of you who don't know, Les Rosen was the chief architect of the PBSA predecessor NAPBS, and its first Chair and unofficial Executive Director. Simply put, no Les Rosen then, no PBSA today."For more information, see:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/ CONTACT US!Send comments, feedback,  suggestions for future guests or sponsorship information to:screeningpros200@gmail.comPlatinum Sponsor:  https://preemploymentdirectory.com/ , publisher of the Background Buzz!  

  1. 2d ago ·  Video

    Episode 64 The Queen of Screen: Tammy Cohen on Building Infomart, PBSA, and 35 Years in Background Screening

    Send us Fan Mail Tammy Cohen is the founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Infomart and one of the most celebrated names in background screening.  Known across the industry as the Queen of Screen, Tammy has spent over 35 years shaping how screening companies are built, led, and run. In this episode, Les sits down with Tammy for a conversation that is part origin story, part industry history, and completely entertaining.  From quitting her job over a Glock handgun to writing one of the first checks to fund NAPBS, Tammy shares the real story behind Infomart, the lessons, the people, and the philosophy that has kept her going for decades. Pro Conversation You don't want to miss! Being invited to the founding table of NAPBS was a defining moment for Tammy. Validation from industry peers early on can shape your entire career trajectory.Go to every single booth at PBSA. You leave with industry knowledge and a new friend every time.Rub it and run. When problems hit, deal with it and keep moving. Dwelling on setbacks will not get you down the road.You do not have to know how to run a business before starting one, but you must learn fast. The operation side alone will not sustain a company.Building experts within your team is its own form of legacy. Infomart's average team tenure is 10 years, and that depth of experience is a real competitive advantage.Subscribe on Spotify or wherever you listen, and follow us on YouTube. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 64 The Queen of Screen: Tammy Cohen on Building Infomart, PBSA, and 35 Years in Background Screening

  2. 2d ago ·  Video

    Episode 63: Patti McGowan on Mentorship, Culture, and the Evolution of Background Screening

    Send us Fan Mail In this episode, Patti walks me through her entrepreneurial journey, starting from a typing service with an IBM Selectric III at age 21 to building a successful background screening company, SPI (Select Personnel International).  We dive into the early days of background investigations back in 1984 and how she transitioned from domestic PI cases to corporate screening. But what really impressed me throughout our conversation was her unique approach to leadership and team building. Patti reveals why she prioritizes hiring college students, why meeting people where they are matters, and how treating your staff like family leads to decades of loyalty.  She's got employees who've been with her for 10, 15, and even 20+ years—that says something special about a business. Whether you work in the screening industry or are just curious, stick around for authentic, unfiltered stories you won't hear anywhere else. This is what Behind the Screens is all about. Key Takeaways: The Origin Story: How Patti turned a $300 investment in a typewriter into a thriving business with 21 employees.Industry Evolution: The transition from manual background checks in the 1980s to modern screening practices.Building Loyalty: Why Patti’s staff stays with her for 10, 15, and even 20+ years.Mentorship Matters: The value of hiring college students and high school interns to bring fresh energy into the workplace.Workplace Culture: How rewarding employees with company cars, vacations, and a supportive environment drives success.Did you enjoy my conversation with Patti? Subscribe on Spotify or wherever you listen, and follow us on YouTube. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 63: Patti McGowan on Mentorship, Culture, and the Evolution of Background Screening

  3. Jul 27 ·  Video

    Episode 71: Geoff Lee on 30 Years in Screening, and Why He Flies Terminally Ill Strangers to France Every Year

    Send us Fan Mail I told our listeners before we started recording that this particular guest could go three or four hours, and I meant it. Geoff Lee is one of the most extraordinary people I have met in this industry, and the screening career is honestly just the beginning of the story. Geoff started as a military intelligence officer, a juvenile probation counselor, a law enforcement officer, and an insurance fraud investigator before stumbling onto consumer data at CDB Infotech in the early nineties and never looking back. In this episode, we cover the career, the compliance lessons, the FCRA case he argued and won in a Texas justice of the peace trailer, and then we get into the part of his life that genuinely blew me away. Every year, Geoff personally organizes and funds a trip to Lourdes, France for people with terminal and life-limiting illnesses through the Order of Malta. He re-enlisted in the Army at his mid-fifties to help returning soldiers. And he sits with formerly incarcerated people to walk them through their second chance options. Pro Conversation You Don't Want to Miss! The compliance lesson Geoff lives by after 30 years: fast and cheap gets you in court. Speed with accuracy is the only way to do it rightHow he argued and won the first FCRA federal preemption case in Texas in a justice of the peace trailer, not as a lawyer, and what it means for how state and federal law interact in background screeningThe Order of Malta and what it actually looks like to charter a plane, coordinate medical staff, and personally care for 45 people with life-ending illnesses for eight days in southern FranceThe moment that wrecked everyone at the dinner table: a late-30s mother with stage four cancer got up and said she had a miracle, and the miracle was calling her daughters to tell them she was okay to dieWhy Geoff re-enlisted with the Army Chaplain Corps in his mid-fifties to do death notifications and suicide intervention for returning soldiers, on his own time and at his own expenseSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 71: Geoff Lee on 30 Years in Screening, and Why He Flies Terminally Ill Strangers to France Every Year

  4. Jul 22 ·  Video

    Episode 65: Todd Higey on FCRA Compliance, and Building a Background Screening Law Practice

    Send us Fan Mail Todd Higey is a background screening attorney based in Birmingham, Alabama with 28 years of legal experience.  After a decade and a half of litigation work and nearly a decade as in-house counsel for ESS and Global HR Research, he now runs his own solo law practice serving CRAs, wholesalers, and data brokers across the country.  In this episode, Les sits down with Todd for a conversation that covers the full arc of a legal career built on background screening.  From the day a class action lawsuit landed on his desk and he walked it right back out the door, to the data-driven compliance strategy he has spent years building and sharing at PBSA, Todd brings the kind of hard-won perspective you only get from someone who has actually done the work.  Pro Conversation You don't want to miss! - Good compliance work often feels like proving a negative. You set up the infrastructure, the procedures, the forms and you never really know if it holds until the day it gets tested. - Tracking FCRA lawsuits filed in federal court year over year is one of the smartest things an in-house lawyer can do. Data tells you what the plaintiff's bar is focused on. Anecdotes do not. - Transparency with clients is not just good practice. It prevents the hard conversations later. If a client buys the more economical package, make sure they know exactly what that means before anything goes wrong. - Before you hire a lawyer for your new screening company, hire someone who has actually worked the queue. Operations experience is the foundation everything else is built on. - Get involved in PBSA government relations. The legislation being worked on right now affects every company in this space, and the people doing that work need support.  Subscribe on Spotify or wherever you listen, and follow us on YouTube. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 65: Todd Higey on FCRA Compliance, and Building a Background Screening Law Practice

  5. Jul 22 ·  Video

    Episode 66: Jamie Pelchat on Compliance, Operations, and Leading With Fairness

    Send us Fan Mail Jamie Pelchat started her career sticking barcodes on file folders after school. She ended up VP of Delivery Transformation at HireRight and a first-term member of the PBSA Board.  In this episode of Behind the Screens, Les Rosen sits down with Jamie to talk about the winding, fascinating path between those two points.   In this episode you'll hear about: 1. How Jamie went from project manager to VP of Operations and Compliance at General Information Services, and what the merger with HireRight looked like from the inside 2. The career advice her mom passed down — and why "assertive, not aggressive" still shapes how she leads 3. Why fairness beats trying to make everyone happy, and how to take the emotion out of tough situations at work 4. The certifications Jamie didn't want to study for and is proudest of having, including a Nevada PI license that required flying out and appearing before a board in person 5. How an introvert used PBSA task forces to build real professional relationships and eventually land a seat on the board 6. Practical, no-cost ways for newcomers to grow in the background screening industry right now 7. Jamie's hobby: sailing a Catalina 250 on Lake Murray in South Carolina, and the fun fact that she won a few regattas back in the day Subscribe so you never miss a conversation with a background screening pro. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 66: Jamie Pelchat on Compliance, Operations, and Leading With Fairness

  6. Jul 20 ·  Video

    Episode 68: How Timothy Baxter Built Baxter Research Into the Gold Standard of Criminal Research

    Send us Fan Mail Timothy Baxter is the CEO and founder of Baxter Research, a wholesale criminal research firm he built from the ground up in San Francisco in the mid-1990s and has since grown into what many in the industry consider the gold standard for court-based criminal research. He is currently rolling out a fully rebuilt AI-based system after four years of development, and splits his time between Florida, Reno, and West Virginia. I've been in this industry a long time, and Tim Baxter was the very first person I ever met in it. So this one was personal for me, and I have to say, even after all these years, I learned things about this man I never knew. Tim's path to founding Baxter Research is one of the great origin stories in this industry: a pager, a phone booth, a trifold mailer with a Sherlock Holmes logo, and a trip to the library to find phone books from Fort Lauderdale and Texas. Before any of that, though, he spent his teens and early twenties traveling to more than 70 countries with just a backpack, a tie, and a jacket — courtesy of his mom's airline benefits. The same curiosity and grit that took him around the world is what built Baxter Research into a household name, and this conversation covers all of it. Pro Conversation You Don't Want to Miss! 1. How Tim went from calling in criminal court results from a phone booth to building an AI-based research system, and why he scrapped four years of work and started over to do it right 2. The grandfather story that shaped Tim's entire worldview: a Depression-era decision made in a cornfield that ended with retirement at 50 and a quarter million dollars 3. What Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance taught him about not sacrificing your life for the rice, and why that stuck with him since he was 20 4. Tim's landmark Massachusetts work: why the fractional search misses 326% more felony convictions than a countywide search, and how Baxter Research was the first to deliver volume countywide searches in that state 5. The superbike school at Laguna Seca, the motorcycle trip through Iceland to the filming location of Oblivion, and what it looks like when you spend decades actually doing the things you said you would Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 68: How Timothy Baxter Built Baxter Research Into the Gold Standard of Criminal Research

  7. Jul 13 ·  Video

    Episode 70: The Veterans Panel: Matt O'Connor, Wanda Hess & Rory Bogdon

    Send us Fan Mail I've been lucky enough to talk to a lot of impressive people on this podcast, but this one was a little different. These three didn't just work in background screening. They built the backbone of it, and they're still at it. Matt O'Connor, Wanda Hess, and Rory Bogdon have a combined career span that stretches across fax clerks and help wanted ads, through the ChoicePoint and Sterling acquisition waves, into the wholesale world, and all the way to PBSA's government relations desk. In this episode, the three of them talk about what's really changed in the industry, what keeps them here after all these years, and the lessons that stuck with them from the beginning. Pro Conversation You Don't Want to Miss! Wanda's 28-year career in a single thread: fax clerk to CEO, including the pivot to sales she almost didn't take and the gut-call that led her to start Iprotech ScreeningMatt's take on the biggest shift in the industry: the flip from human-led research supported by technology to technology-led operations supported by humansRory's most practical career lesson: bad news doesn't age well, and it goes double if it's your faultWanda's argument that AI in background screening needs a human checkpoint, because no two clerks do it the same and court records are full of misspellings that only a person can catchWhy all three are still in this industry after 30-plus years: it's never boring, you never stop learning, and the people are, frankly, some of the best aroundSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation. Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 70: The Veterans Panel: Matt O'Connor, Wanda Hess & Rory Bogdon

  8. Jun 29 ·  Video

    Episode 69: Remembering Mike Sankey

    Send us Fan Mail Today we are honoring and remembering my good friend Mike Sankey, a man who shaped this industry and shaped the people in it, myself included. Mike Sankey founded BRB Publications and wrote the books that became the bible of the screening industry, the MVR Book and the MVR Decoder. He was a founding force behind PBSA, the inaugural recipient of the PBSA Lifetime Achievement Award now named in his honor, and a man who somehow found time for racehorses, can-collecting ventures, and a years-long Groucho Marx glasses tradition that became legendary at every NAPBS dinner. In this episode, the people who knew him best share what made him so unforgettable, both as a businessman and as a friend. Pro Conversation You Don't Want to Miss! How Mike's MVR Book and MVR Decoder became required reading for the entire industry, and why one colleague said skipping them would have set the field back yearsThe phone call that turned standards into guidelines, and how Mike and John Kloos got nine vendor guidelines finished in nine monthsThe founding member idea that helped launch PBSA off of fourteen thousand dollarsMike's legendary Groucho Marx glasses tradition, and the prank he pulled on Derek Hinton involving a fake family photo album from people who never existedA heartfelt letter from Mike's brother Mark on what it meant to work side by side with him for twenty years without a single heated argumentSubscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss a conversation.  Thanks to our sponsor, PreemploymentDirectory.com, publisher of Background Buzz and numerous other resources. And a special thanks to W. Barry Nixon. Connect with US: Les Rosen- https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/Subscribe to our YouTube Channel- https://www.youtube.com/@BehindtheSCreens200

    Episode 69: Remembering Mike Sankey
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About

"Behind the Screens" is a podcast that brings you up close and personal with the people in the background screening industry. Hosted by Les Rosen, each episode features in-depth, human-interest interviews with a diverse range of guests—including business executives, employees with extensive screening experience, vendors who serve the industry, and legal and compliance experts. These conversations dive into the personal stories and insights of those who know the industry best, offering a fresh perspective on the people driving background screening. Whether you are part of the industry or just curious, "Behind the Screens" delivers authentic, non-marketing-focused stories from the world of background checks.Your host:  Les Rosen is an Attorney, former owner of a screening firm, the chair of the steering committee that founded PBSA and the first co-chair of PBSA, as well as author of the "Safe Hiring Manual," and frequent presenter nationwide. According to attorney and industry veteran  Vince Pascarella, "For those of you who don't know, Les Rosen was the chief architect of the PBSA predecessor NAPBS, and its first Chair and unofficial Executive Director. Simply put, no Les Rosen then, no PBSA today."For more information, see:  https://www.linkedin.com/in/lesterrosen/ CONTACT US!Send comments, feedback,  suggestions for future guests or sponsorship information to:screeningpros200@gmail.comPlatinum Sponsor:  https://preemploymentdirectory.com/ , publisher of the Background Buzz!  

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