Women Owned Wednesday - Yvette Austin
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Women Owned Wednesday - Yvette Austin

Welcome to Women Owned Wednesdays!

In celebration of National Women's Month, we're highlighting the incredible women who make up the heart and soul of our company.

Today, we're thrilled to introduce you to CI’s Managing Investigator, Yvette Austin!

Yvette has been with CI for 9 years, and is an integral part of our investigative teams’ day-to-day operations and success.

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Guardian’s Travels: Compliance Matters
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Guardian’s Travels: Compliance Matters

On a clear and sunny morning, Guardian was soaring above the bustling city when a sense of purpose crossed their avian features. Down below, near a glass-walled office building, Guardian spotted a Human Resources professional named Grace. She was deeply engrossed in her work, but her face revealed her concern.

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Spotlight: Adopt-A-Family
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Spotlight: Adopt-A-Family

For this holiday season, our team at CI participated in Adopt-A-Family for the Holidays and adopted a family living in Albany and Rensselaer Counties.

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Due Diligence: How Clean is Clean?
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Due Diligence: How Clean is Clean?

In the cozy office of the Fancy Valley and Four Seasons, the team made significant progress in their quest to find the perfect financial professional to join their ranks.

Sue cleared her throat and straightened the stack of resumes, her eyes twinkling with anticipation. “Alright team, we’ve narrowed our search to three applicants for the final round of interviews.”

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Proactive Compliance in the Workplace
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Proactive Compliance in the Workplace

Adverse action, a critical component of the hiring process, is facing a significant transformation in California and New York City, with New York State expected to follow suit. These changes are being driven by a blend of regulatory adjustments and societal dynamics. This will carry substantial implications for businesses.

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Guardian’s Travels: Decoding Invoices
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Guardian’s Travels: Decoding Invoices

“Exactly, some providers might lump various fees together under vague headings, leaving you in the dark about the specifics. This lack of clarity can lead to misunderstandings and unexpected costs.”

Emily sighed in relief. “That makes so much sense, Guardian. I’ve been struggling to make sense of these charges for a while now.”

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Spotlight: 20 Years 20 Charities
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Spotlight: 20 Years 20 Charities

As a way to give back to our community, Commercial Investigations set a goal in celebration of our 20th anniversary to contribute or donate to 20 different charities and organizations in our local community.

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Due Diligence: Navigating Numbers
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Due Diligence: Navigating Numbers

As the team discussed the various aspects, Duey shifted uneasily in his chair. “We need to be mindful of our budget. We can’t spend more than we can afford.”

Prue agreed. “You’re right, our financial health is just as important as our business operations. We can’t dive into this blindly.”

Sue leaned forward, “I completely understand your worries, but Commercial Investigations is committed to transparency. They provide clear information about our fees and ensure that we won’t be surprised with unexpected costs.”

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The Crystal Clear Lens
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

The Crystal Clear Lens

Background investigations play a crucial role in ensuring the safety and integrity of an organization. However, the pricing structure of these investigations can sometimes be misleading, with some screening providers quoting low contract package prices while purposefully omitting third-party fees.

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Guardian’s Travels: Finding Hiring Blind Spots
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Guardian’s Travels: Finding Hiring Blind Spots

On a lazy Saturday morning, Guardian spotted an untouched newspaper still laying in a neighbor’s driveway. Realizing they didn’t get this edition, and being the curious bird Guardian is, they decided to swoop over and take a peek before anyone was the wiser.

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Spotlight: EOS Rocks
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Spotlight: EOS Rocks

What are Rocks? The CI staff learned about Rocks after reading Gino Wickman and Tom Bouwer’s book What the Heck is EOS? in our book club.

As Wickman and Bouwer say, Rocks, first popularized by Dr. Stephen R. Covey in his book First Things First, has helped a number of companies manage their workflow.

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Due Diligence: Corporate Concerns
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Due Diligence: Corporate Concerns

Duey and Prue swung the courthouse doors open just in time to hear a “Bang!” of the judge’s gavel, and Coco’s sentence is finalized.

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Unlocking Smarter Hiring Potential
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Unlocking Smarter Hiring Potential

Commercial Investigations LLC was founded in 2004, and has been working under President Michelle Pyan’s Private Investigative license since then. However, while it is the same license as the movie stars that stake people out and go through their garbage, CI exclusively focuses on background investigations.

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2023 CI Olympics
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

2023 CI Olympics

In a battle of wits, agility, and teamwork, the red Veni-Vidi-Verified faced off against the black/gray Usual Suspects in a series of thrilling games that pushed their limits and brought out their competitive spirits. Due to the air quality, our teams embraced the added challenge of competing in each event indoors.

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Guardian’s Travels: Where are all the Misdemeanors?
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Guardian’s Travels: Where are all the Misdemeanors?

Guardian knew this team was about to fall into the same trap so many other employers do. “I need to get over there and help before it’s too late!” Guardian said as he swooped down. On his way down, he could see what floor the HR team was on, but the window was sealed shut.

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Spotlight: 2022 CommunityVotes
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Spotlight: 2022 CommunityVotes

Standing alongside other extraordinary individuals and companies in our community, CI was honored to have received the Platinum Award in the Private Investigator category. We appreciate each and every person who took the time to vote for us and are equally appreciative of our staff who make it all happen.

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Due Diligence - Coco Did WHAT Again?
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Due Diligence - Coco Did WHAT Again?

“Oh it would indeed, Sue, and maybe even in multiple different inquiries. New York State has many different levels of criminal data. In the case of Coco’s charges, the two felonies will likely only be found in county court, and the misdemeanor will likely only be found in a lower court - such as town or city court, because county courts do not hear misdemeanor cases in New York,” Duey said.

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Peeling Back the Criminal Onion
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

Peeling Back the Criminal Onion

There is a misconception between employers and their Human Resource professionals that a National or Nationwide criminal inquiry yields all criminal history information on a subject. Therefore, it’s imperative for employers to peel back the four layers of criminal information available for each subject. Each provides different information about an individual’s criminal history.

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CI’s 19th Birthday
Michelle Pyan Michelle Pyan

CI’s 19th Birthday

It's hard to believe that March 8th, 2023 marked 19 years since Commercial Investigations was founded. It seems too good to be true that this achievement also happens to fall on International Women’s Day, but the stars aligned for CI.

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