ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, July 23, 1996 TAG: 9607230037
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-7 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: TORRANCE, CALIF.
SOURCE: Associated Press
Nancy Waite wanted to be certain her new beau wasn't an ax murderer.
She had already had too many horrifying encounters with men she met through personal ads. So Waite asked boyfriend John Schmuhl to sign a release allowing her to check out his background through Personal Profile, an investigative reporting firm.
For about $150, Personal Profile looks at a person's criminal record, employment verification, driver's license, civil records, educational documents and credit history. It scrutinizes potential roommates, employees, nannies, suitors and others.
``John seemed too good to be true,'' said Waite, 52. ``A friend said, `You better check him out and make sure he's not an ax murderer.'''
Torrance-based Personal Profile has been in business since January 1995. Its affiliated company, Information Resources, of Redondo Beach, has been delving into backgrounds for major corporations for more than eight years.
``We want to find out about someone before you hire them - or go out with them - before it's too late,'' said Paulette Hiebert, general manager of Personal Profile.
The need to check people out is a reality of our times, she said.
``Background checks are not just for big companies anymore,'' Hiebert said. ``People are realizing they cannot rely on instinct, references, or even employment history. We have to make informed choices to protect ourselves, our families and our homes.''
``Before you give your key to a stranger, have them checked out,'' she said. ``We've had a lot of people who have been burned in the past.''
Parody Production Ltd., a small business from the Chicago suburb of Lombard, uses Personal Profile. Parody employs artists for entertainment and special events and the caricature painters are often sent to homes and businesses.
``We were in the midst of hiring a number of new employees,'' Parody president Marymae Meyer said. ``The world is getting very strange, and you never know what kind of person is going to apply,'' Parody president Marymae Meyer said.
``In our little world, a charming personality is the shtick. You really want to hire them on your gut instinct, but you can't,'' she said. ``And as a small business I don't have the time or know-how to do background checks.''
Some people use Personal Profile after learning their lessons the hard way.
Stan Burkland, of Investment Property Group of Newport Beach, formed a business partnership with a man who turned out to be a con artist with a police record, including fraud. By the time Burkland found out about the man's past, it was too late. Burkland
``He never had a penny invested. He ran Ponzi schemes and said he had a cattle ranch that never existed,'' Burkland said.
Now Burkland checks out all potential business associates.
``Never enter into a business transaction involving control of money unless you have a full credit report of that person,'' he advised.
What was Schmuhl's reaction to Waite when she asked him to have his private life examined?
``I thought this would set her mind at ease,'' he said. ``I felt that it was not so much about me, than it was concerning her past. I could understand the fears she had.''
Schmuhl's background turned up no skeletons. The 54-year-old even offered to pay for Personal Profile. Waite and Schmuhl have been together for nearly a year.
Some people may find it offensive that a company would check backgrounds on individuals. But as long as the federal government isn't doing the delving, it's not against the law, said Ann Bradley, media director for the American Civil Liberties Union Southern California chapter.
LENGTH: Medium: 76 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: AP Paulette Hiebert poses for a photograph at herby CNBPersonal Profile company, which sheds light on the pasts of
potential employees, companions and others.