Kreller Companies
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 Corporate logo | |
| Kreller Companies | |
| Company type | Private |
| Industry | Business intelligence |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Founder | Joseph "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 |
|
| 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]
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]
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]