2019 has been the third leg of a three-year journey that in 2017 we named InCheck 2.0. That was us, after 14 years of slow and (mostly) steady growth, coming of age with a vision for a new organization. A vision that matched the company we had not only become, but also the one we wanted to be. This evolution took a commitment from our entire organization and a shared belief in that vision. We empowered our leaders to take a more active role in the day-to-day operation of the business, as well as the planning and goal-setting functions that were crucial to the 2.0 mission.
2017 laid the foundation, and we knew we were on to something when in 2018, we doubled in size. Going from 40 to 80+ employees in the matter of a year was quite an experience, and, coupled with an incredibly fast-paced employment market and the related expectations from clients, was a true test of character. But when I look around at our leadership team, who rolled up their sleeves and said “bring it on,” I’m not surprised at the outcome. Julie Steffel, our HR Manager, was a huge part of that process. Julie hired to our core values in order to create a cohesive team that “bled orange” by contributing to and thriving in our culture and believing in our vision.
What we accomplished in 2018 would be enough material for a year’s worth of blogs, so I’ll summarize by saying we crushed it. I am so proud of our team for not only what was done, but how it was done. We talk about “growing gracefully” at InCheck, and our leaders embraced that approach as we identified and worked toward the specific goals needed to move the needle forward.
Having said that, I just realized I’m already on paragraph three and still talking about 2018, so let’s move on… Thanks for your continued reading to this point!
Ok… 2019. If I had to choose one word to describe this year it would be realignment. All the projects, all the initiatives, all the accomplishments in their totality have put InCheck in the position to successfully scale. We’re analyzing results and fine tuning our processes based on successes and failures.
2019 solidified InCheck having the right people, the right model, the right goals, the right market position, the right competitive advantages, the right partners, and the right mindset needed to approach the next phase of our journey… InCheck 3.0. Our Marketing Director might want to speak with me if I talk more about that, so I’ll stop there for now. But that should at least provide a sneak preview into what’s ahead for 2020. We’ll have some exciting news to share in the coming months. Until then, however, we plan to finish the year strong and enjoy the holidays with family and friends.
After reflecting on the past two-plus years and with Thanksgiving approaching, I’d like to take the opportunity to express gratitude to some very important people and organizations.
InCheck leaders – I’m constantly amazed by the talent, the commitment, and the way in which they encourage and support their teams. The one thing they have in common is they truly care about people. They are not only working for InCheck, they are living it, as you can clearly see our core values in complete alignment. They set the right goals and plans to achieve them, and then fearlessly execute. The results speak for themselves, as we’ve seen a >50% increase in top-line growth since 2017.
InCheck staff – Our service providers are the heart of the company. Having done the day-to-day work myself during the early years of the company, I know how challenging it is. Yet, every day, they show up, they believe in what we do, and are committed to excellence. They are persistent and positive, and do their best to create unrivaled experiences for our clients and for each other. I’ve heard that the power of a group of well-intentioned people is a number greater than the sum, and I think this is a good way of describing our operations staff. Together, they are doing great things and continuing to elevate their performance in an increasingly demanding environment.
Our service providers – So much of what we do is dependent on a great network of individuals and organizations who are always there for us when called upon. It’s no small task to build a nationwide network of reliable, best-in-class solution providers given the complexity of our industry, and we’re grateful to have established such an outstanding partner network. There are a few we’d like to mention:
- Very quick turnaround time, high degree of accuracy, very customer-oriented, and provide daily updates on every search.
- Amy Strate from TazWorks, our technology platform partner. Simply incredible.
- Provide multiple ID on records returned to us, very accurate, and quick turnaround.
- Extremely friendly, quick turnaround, and fast responses when we need additional information.
- Phyllis from AmCare. Always there to assist us with questions we may have, even if they aren’t specifically MRO-related. Quick to respond and very friendly.
- Susan from Aurora. Super helpful and great to work with. Helps with new client setups, works quickly to get them up and running, and asks questions as needed to ensure accounts are setup correctly.
- Judith from the WI DPI. We are thankful to her for always providing us with friendly service and fast results for all of our Wisconsin GED and HSED verifications.
Strategic advisory partners –
- SPEARITY/Darren. Darren and SPEARITY have continued to provide InCheck with sound insight and support. Combined with their technology platform, they’ve become an integral part of our business and have played a huge role in our organizational transformation.
- Our newest partner and fellow Future50 winner was selected as our marketing partner this year, and has been nothing short of outstanding. Not only are they doing great work, their friendly candidate referral was the perfect fit for our Director of Marketing position. Talk about adding value!
Finally, a huge shout out to our clients! From the longest-tenured clients who have been with us for almost twenty years and remained loyal partners to InCheck- to the 140+ new organizations who chose InCheck in 2019-Thank you! Your partnership and support over the years inspires us to continue to do right by you and to continue to improve on what we’ve built. We are a better company because of your commitment.
As we said last year, we work with some amazing people who work for some amazing organizations – people who recognize the nature and reality of the background screening world and work collaboratively with us through challenges in an effort to make us both better. That approach, once again, is truly appreciated by all of us here at InCheck.
From our team to yours, we’d like to thank you for working with us, and we wish you all a very Happy Thanksgiving!
-Andy Gallion