Our intrepid County House Research team of Kelly Capponi, Prissy Hamilton, Phil Bryer, and Kym Kurey got back from the NAPBS Annual Conference early last week excited by their experiences. From the NAPBS rebranding to the social scene and everything in between here are their key takeaways.

Prissy: What an amazing experience! First, thank you to all our industry colleagues who met with us at the conference. We got a lotta love from people for which we’re extremely grateful. If you weren’t there, you might think the change from NAPBS to PBSA (Professional Background Screening Association) is just marketing, but I really got a sense of the global nature of the industry. It was especially great for me to be at a conference where I grew up. I had fun making excursion recommendations to clients and colleagues. One key takeaway for me was that regardless of how the industry evolves technology-wise, people always value service. The question becomes how do you find the right balance.

Kelly: Agreed. The best part of this conference, and of any industry conference, is meeting our clients, solidifying relationships. Beyond how nice it feels to get together, it is tremendously encouraging to meet people—clients, colleagues, even competitors—who have so much love and respect for County House Research. Amid all the talk of pricing, technology, and automation, which are all vital, of course, it’s also important not to underestimate the central role that personal relationships still play in the business.

Kym: Thank you! I think this was one of the best conferences we’ve had so far. The conference brought together most of the original NAPBS founders so it really felt like a family reunion in many ways. Congratulations to industry stalwart and first NAPBS co-chair, Les Rosen, for being honored with the Mike Sankey Lifetime Achievement Award. The keynote speech by Mark Eaton of the Utah Jazz offered many insightful points about relationship building and finding inspiration even in the midst of the “perception” of failure. Perhaps the biggest news on the provider front, however, is the rollout of a new criminal research provider certification that now mirrors FCRA certifications.

Phil: First, it is still kinda crazy to me that I am now an industry “veteran.” How did that happen? My vanity aside, the biggest issues for me were the rapidly evolving compliance issues and technological advances like the use of AI (artificial intelligence) in screening. And it makes sense that tech and compliance must evolve side by side. It’s great to see that the (now) PBSA recognizes that and is trying to stay ahead of the curve. My key takeaway runs along the lines of Prissy’s with a tech spin to it. We know that technology will continue to change and that the industry will change with it. What we’re still figuring out is what role will be played by human oversight?