 | SMALL BUSINESS |
BY JASON GIL BEAR | NMBW STAFF
That’s the philosophy of private investigator
Wayne Brewer, who is teaching small businesses
how to conduct quick, inexpensive and reliable in-
house employee background investigations that
could ultimately save lives.
“The rape and murder of Marissa Mathy-Zvaifler
would have never happened if someone had done
an employment background check on her accused
killer Dominic Akers prior to him being hired,” said
Brewer to a small audience at a seminar on Nov. 3.
Akers, 22, is accused of kidnapping and
murdering 16-year-old Mathy-Zvaifler, whose body
was found at the Sunshine Theater in Albuquerque
on July 16. A janitor at the theater, Akers was a
registered sex offender when he was hired by the
theater. Akers has pleaded not guilty to the murder
and kidnapping charges and is expected to go to
trial in early 2004. Sunshine manager Vincent
Johnson says the theater did not know about
Akers’ prior conviction, according to a published
report in the Albuquerque Tribune.
But Brewer says theater management could have
found out Akers’ past in less than five minutes.
“With a few clicks of a mouse, the Sunshine
management would have known that he was a sex
offender and these events probably would have
never transpired,” says Brewer.
Brewer is the president of Albuquerque-based
Wayne Brewer and Associates Inc., which
provides professional investigative services to
businesses and individuals. The firm specializes in
missing persons, asset and income searches, pre-
employment screening, computer crimes, and
surveillance.
Brewer has partnered with the Albuquerque-
based Lamb, Metzgar, Lines & Dahl law firm and
Rio Rancho-based human resources consulting
firm PRAXIS Management Solutions to offer a
series of free seminars for the business community.
“A background investigation is designed not so
much to determine who a person was as
says.
Brewer guided participants through a number
of Web sites, including sex offender databases,
district and federal court online dockets, credit
reporting agencies, and motor vehicle department
incident online reports. Brewer says all of the
Web sites are free or charge a small fee for the
information.
“With the cost of just a few dollars, you could
save your company embarrassment, theft, and
frivolous lawsuits if you know about the people
you are hiring before they come on board,” he
says.
Brewer told the crowd that every business
needs to get into the practice of not only pulling
credit checks, but also searching court databases.
Diane Romero, human resources manager at
First Financial Credit Union, attended the
seminar, and says her company has never looked
into court or driving records of its potential
employees, but says she plans on implementing a
new background search system in the next year.
“You can definitely learn a lot about people if
you just take a few moments to look for those red
flags,” she says.
Susan Chavez, public information officer for the
U.S. Small Business Administration’s new Mexico
district office, says it offers programs that are
helpful to many small business owners who have
questions about investigating potential
employees.
“We have two counseling departments, the
Small Business Development Center and the
Service Corps of Retired Executives that are
skilled and competent in helping new businesses
or established businesses receive assistance or
advice when dealing with employment and hiring
issues,” says Chavez.
Brewer is holding another free conference on
Nov. 21 from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at the Lamb law firm.
Call 275-7777 for more information.
jgilbear@bizjournals.com | 348-8321
www.WayneBrewer.com