Smith Brandon International

Last updated
Smith Brandon International, Inc.
SBI
Type Subsidiary
Industry Business intelligence
Founded Washington, D.C., United States (1996 (1996))
Founder
Headquarters
Washington, D.C.
Area served
Worldwide
Services
Parent Kreller Companies
Website www.smithbrandon.com

Smith Brandon International, Inc. (SBI) is an American boutique corporate investigations and risk consulting firm based in Washington, D.C. [1] It was founded in 1996 by Gene M. Smith and Harry "Skip" Brandon and today employs a worldwide network of investigators, including former heads of law enforcement agencies, political figures and professionals with legal, financial and intelligence backgrounds. [2] [3] SBI 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. [1] [4]

SBI does not disclose the names of its clients or the specifics of its projects. [2] [5] However, SBI's clients include domestic and foreign Fortune 50 companies, as well as small- and medium-sized companies, working internationally in many industries, such as banking, oil, mining and timber. [6] [7] [8] With assistance from its international network of contacts in the intelligence, business and diplomatic communities, SBI has worked across North America, Latin America, the Middle East, Asia, Africa and India. [5] [8] [9] Ninety-five percent of their work is outside of the U.S. [10]

Founders Smith and Brandon have had close ties with U.S. governmental agencies; Smith was a CIA officer and Brandon was deputy assistant director of the National Security and Counter Terrorism programs for the FBI. [5] [11] Both have contributed to various industry journals, such as the Harvard Business Review, and have spoken at various conferences and on national radio programs, including NPR’s Talk of the Nation. [10] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18]

In January 2020, Kreller Companies acquired SBI. [19] [20]

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References

  1. 1 2 "Frequently Asked Questions". Smith Brandon International. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  2. 1 2 Fields, Julia (August 1999). "Intelligence firm profits from overseas contacts". Ottawa Business Journal: 10.
  3. ↑ "About SBI". Smith Brandon International. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  4. ↑ Larsen, Peter Thal (April 11, 2002). "Insecurity and fear feed a once secretive industry". Financial Times.
  5. 1 2 3 Ripley, Amanda (July 31, 1998). "Rent-a-Spook". Washington City Paper. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  6. ↑ Stein, Jeff (November 20, 1996). "The Dogs of Peace". Salon. Retrieved February 26, 2013.
  7. ↑ Whitefield, Mimi (April 20, 1998). "Risk Analysts Cut a Path for Latin American Investors". The Miami Herald.
  8. 1 2 Stein, Jeff (March 1997). "Risky Business". Impact 21: 22–25.
  9. ↑ Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson (April 10, 2001). "The top players in intelligence industry". Financial Times.
  10. 1 2 Finder, Joseph (2007). "The CEO's Private Investigation". Harvard Business Review. Harvard Business Publishing. 85 (10): 54. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  11. ↑ Brandon, Harry (August 16, 2004). "Can FBI & CIA Work Together?". CNN (Interview). Interviewed by Soledad O’Brien. Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  12. ↑ Brandon, Harry; Smith, Gene M. (March–April 1998). "Coping with Disaster: You Need a Plan". MiningVoice. 4 (2): 23–27.
  13. ↑ Brandon, Harry; Smith, Gene M. (March 1999). "Expert Advisor: Expect the Unexpected—Terrorism in Today's World". Crime Victims Litigation. The National Center of Victims of Crime. 6 (1): 10–11.
  14. ↑ Smith, Gene M. (November–December 2000). "Credit Risk and Risk Avoidance". Business Credit. 102 (10): 58–59.
  15. ↑ Brandon, Harry (August 17, 2005). "Talk of the Nation". National Public Radio (Interview). Interviewed by Neil Conan. Boston, Massachusetts: WBUR . Retrieved February 11, 2013.
  16. ↑ Smith, Gene M. (2010). "Challenges in International Security: Kidnapping & Crisis Management" (PDF). Journal of the Washington Institute of China Studies. The Washington Institute of China Studies. 4 (4): 71–76. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  17. ↑ Smith, Gene M.; Brandon, Harry (October 9, 2004). Keynote Speakers. Academy of International Business – Northeast USA 2004 Annual Conference. Smithfield, Rhode Island. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  18. ↑ Stensgaard, Anne-Birte (March 7, 2005). "FCIB 1st International Credit & Risk Management Conference in the Middle East". AMEinfo.com. Retrieved February 16, 2013.
  19. ↑ "The Kreller Group Acquires Smith Brandon International, Inc" (Press release). Cincinnati, Ohio: Kreller Companies. PRNewswire. January 28, 2020. Retrieved 2020-04-29.
  20. ↑ "Cincinnati firm acquires D.C. competitor". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved 2020-05-22.
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