Kreller Companies

Last updated
Kreller, Inc.
Kreller Companies
Company type Private
Industry Business intelligence
Founded1989;35 years ago (1989)
FounderJoseph "Joe" Davidoski
Headquarters,
United States
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
Joseph "Joe" Davidoski
(President)
Harvey Rosen
(Chief Operating Officer) [1]
Scott Shaffer
(Managing Director, Global Due Diligence) [2]
Services
Divisions
  • Kreller Consulting
  • Kreller Credit
  • Kreller Group
Subsidiaries Smith Brandon International
Website

Kreller Companies is an American corporate investigations and risk management firm based in Cincinnati, Ohio. [3] Since its founding in the late 1980s, it has advised clients on their use of third-party business information vendors. [4] Today the firm offers a range of business intelligence services, including custom due diligence and investigations. [3]

Contents

Kreller Companies employs licensed investigators and analysts with experience in federal, state and local law enforcement. [5] Its corporate offices are located in the United States, and the company has official representation in Mexico, Brazil, China, the United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Russia. [6]

The firm operates globally across a number of industries, including health care, telecommunications, defense, energy, manufacturing, and finance. [2] [7] [8] [9] [10] Clients include companies, academic institutions, and government agencies. [7] [11]

In January 2020, Kreller Companies announced that it had acquired D.C.-based Smith Brandon International. [3]

History

From 1982 to 1988, Joe Davidoski worked in sales for Dun & Bradstreet, a publicly traded company that, at the time, had a 90% market share of the credit-check market. [12] Davidoski was recognized as one of the company's top salesmen. [4] [13] After raising concerns internally for several years, in June 1988, a day after the enactment of Ohio's Whistleblower Statute, Davidoski sent a letter to management detailing the misleading and unethical nature of the company's selling practices. [12] The story of his employer's alleged misconduct made front-page news, and Davidoski was featured on American news programs, including 20/20. [12] [13] [14] Davidoski's complaints led to several lawsuits and inquiries, including one by the United States Postal Service. In June 1989, Dun & Bradstreet agreed to settle a number of these for $18 million. [15] [16]

In 1989, Davidoski left and formed Kreller, Inc., today known as Kreller Companies. [12] One of the company's initial services was to work with customers to reduce their spend on third-party data providers, including Dun & Bradstreet. [4]

In 1991, Kreller Companies began offering international credit reports. [7] In the mid-1990s, Kreller Companies began offering international due diligence services. [10] In the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the company's profile rose and its business doubled as Fortune 500 companies sought to sever any possible links to Al Qaeda. [11]

In January 2020, Kreller Companies announced its acquisition of Smith Brandon International (SBI), a boutique corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. [3] [17]

Companies

Kreller Companies offers services across four associated companies: Kreller Group, Kreller Credit, Kreller Consulting, and Smith Brandon International.

Kreller Group

Kreller Group provides international due diligence and background research using local investigators for on-the-ground intel on entities around the globe. [5] [11] [18] Kreller Group conducts investigations into both companies and individuals with whom clients are considering business dealings, such as joint ventures or mergers and acquisitions. [5] Kreller Group also provides advice on how to select international business partners. [19]

In addition, Kreller Group provides guidance on adherence to anti-corruption acts, such as the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. [2] In 2012, Kreller Group launched Kreller Online, an online portal to assist clients with ongoing regulatory compliance with anti-corruption acts. [20]

Kreller Credit

Kreller Credit conducts international credit queries, credit reporting, and in-country risk evaluations and provides assurances that certain credit transactions are authentic. [5] [21] [22] It also assists with collection efforts and asset recovery. [5] [7] [22]

Kreller Consulting

Kreller Consulting offers clients strategies to reduce their expense on information products sold by third-party vendors, particularly those related to credit, law, insurance, real estate, and debt collections. [12] [22] [23] It also advises clients on best practices when purchasing information service subscriptions. [23]

Smith Brandon International

In January 2020, Kreller Companies announced that it had acquired Smith Brandon International (SBI). [3] SBI is a boutique corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. The firm offers a range of services, including high-level political analysis, global due diligence, risk avoidance, corporate investigations, financial investigations, political risk assessments and business intelligence services. [17] [24]

See also

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References

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  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Bohman, Jim (May 1, 1989). "Davidoski vs. Goliath". Dayton Daily News.
  13. 1 2 "Episode 919". 20/20. Season 1989. Episode 919. New York. May 12, 1989. ABC News.
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  16. Roberts, Johnnie L. (March 17, 1989). "Big Bank Demands Dun & Bradstreet Refund Up to $2.5 Million in Charges". The Wall Street Journal.
  17. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". Smith Brandon International. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  18. Mazero, Joyce (February 14, 2019). "International Franchising: Getting the Information You Need – and Why". Franchising.com. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  19. "Advice on International Deals". Akron Beacon Journal. September 24, 2015. p. B6.
  20. "Announcing Kreller Online, a Risk Based Due Diligence Approach Addressing Requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act" (Press release). Cincinnati: Kreller Group. PR.com. March 28, 2019. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
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  22. 1 2 3 "Key Leadership". Kreller Companies Services. Retrieved May 9, 2020.
  23. 1 2 Kreller Group Inc v. WFS Financial Inc(Ohio App.October 10, 2003), Text .
  24. Larsen, Peter Thal (April 11, 2002). "Insecurity and fear feed a once secretive industry". Financial Times.