The big players in investigation in Australia
Mike Evans of The Australian Security Academy is arguably the leading trainer of new private investigators in Australia. He is well known for keeping his finger on the pulse of Australian investigation agencies and the market in general. We thank Mike for his valuable contribution with this report and his unique agency rating method which can help you if you're looking for a placement.
Mike says:
These are the big players in the tough, competitive environment the Australian Investigation Industry. Where are they at now? What does the future hold? What are they doing right? How do they rate? Just to be on this list is an achievement on its own, so who is the Agency to watch, is it growing or has it peaked and is in decline in its business cycle?
Never in the last 10 years has the demand for investigators been so great. Work is available to licensed investigators in NSW and Victoria in such a great supply, that investigation agencies cannot fulfill the demand. So who should you apply to, are they growing or declining, are the competitive or living in the corporate stone age. Mike Evans provides his ratings of the top Australia wide established and emerging Investigation Agencies
MPOL
Owner: Mark Grover
Status: Established, growing and expanding Australia wide, developing strong portfolio of Workers Compensation, Corporate and Government Client's.
Expanding business: Substantial growth. Corporate, Govt and Insurance Clients, established by Siham and Mark. These people were able to build a business from scratch in the toughest period in this industry based on clever marketing principles, not past reputation. This makes MPOL a formidable competitor.
Diversifying business: Yes, Commercial Agents and debugging
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Yes
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: No
Relationship with the Academy: Robust, established three and a half years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes - NSW is the hot spot.
Summary: Get on board this is the investigation agency to be in and learn from in 2007. The current management team is a formidable competitive and astute group, much of which has been developed from within the organisation.
Future: Bright and strong future for this organisation, that will be managed by astute industry professionals with a focus on client service excellence.
Weaknesses: Needs a bigger Melbourne Office HQ.
Strengths: Strong and experienced management team, quality systems.
Past rating: 3.5 hearts
Today's rating: 5 hearts
Barringtons
Owner: Alan Barry
Status: Established over 17 years , growing and diverse organisation.
Expanding business: Yes, continually expanding and moving into Queensland smoothly.
Diversifying business: Yes, Security Risk Management, Security, Government Vetting, Hospitality and Training.
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Yes
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: No
Relationship with the Academy: Robust, established six years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: One of Australia's largest Investigation and Security Risk Management Organisations with a strangle hold on Australia's largest market; Sydney and greater NSW.
Future: Continued growth, poised to seize future opportunities and led by a team of people who are not misled by their own importance or past success.
Weaknesses: Too much work not enough time.
Strengths: Strong dedicated and experienced management team, quality systems and strong client base. Work for them they are great.
Past rating: 4 hearts
Today's rating: 4.5
Verifact
Owner: Dan Crowley and Partners
Status: Growing organisation recently merged with Protocol in NSW, making this Agency one of Australia's largest.
Expanding business: Yes. Attend the Investigation Office of any Government Department in Queensland and you will see Verifact files in abundance. Recently adding Security and building further Security Risk Management Departments.
Diversifying business: Yes, expanding with a Security Department.
Retaining investigators on wages: Unknown
Growing surveillance business: Yes
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: No
Relationship with the Academy: Robust, established five years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: The first large investigation organisation in Queensland to demand professional business management from its managers and give them the support and control to achieve large sales targets within budget boundaries.
Future: Excellent future for this organisation. Has survived the toughest ten years in the investigation industry and through strong leadership has emerged with a strong and expanding market share. Very satisfied corporate and government clients. Apply to this workplace it is expanding.
Weaknesses: None known today.
Strengths: Dan Crowley's vision and leadership.
Past rating: 1.5 hearts
Today's rating: 4.5 hearts
LKA Management
Owner: Vince Scopelletti
Status: Firmly established in Queensland and Victoria with agents around Australia also, this is organisation is highly respected for the quality of work and ability to complete work on time.
Expanding business: Yes.
Diversifying business: Unknown.
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Yes
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: No
Relationship with the Academy: Robust and established five years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: If I had to work for an investigation tomorrow, this one would be my choice. Strong management team, lots of work and strong quality control.
Future: Led by Vince and supported by quality managers around the country this agency will continue to be a competitive market leader for the foreseeable next five years.
Weaknesses: Too reliant on Work Cover makes this organisation vulnerable to changes in policy and allocation of work.
Strengths: Committed, dedicated and experienced management team, quality systems and good client base.
Past rating: 3 hearts
Today's rating: 4.5 hearts
Crawford's
Owner: Various Franchisees
Status: The big end of town in terms of work, which includes loss adjustment. A franchise that is driven by a strong business development and growth support system.
Expanding business: Yes
Diversifying business: No sticks to it's core.
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Uses Subcontractors.
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: No
Relationship with the Academy: Excellent, established six years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: Formidable franchise, with strong management and systems, you must be highly experience do work at this level.
Future: Very good, this franchise is firmly established with law firms and clients with high investigation needs.
Weaknesses: None known.
Strengths: Highly qualified investigators and franchise focused on growth.
Past rating: 3 hearts
Today's rating: 4
Milne and Associates
Owner: Kieran Milne
Status: Established NSW Investigation Agency expanding Australia wide.
Expanding business: Yes taking on markets all around Australia.
Diversifying business: Yes won the last Queensland Work Cover contract for three years.
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Yes
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: Unknown
Relationship with the Academy: Robust established 3 months.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: Phenomenal success in NSW. Has a program for recognising excellence among its staff which is rare in this industry. As the organisation attracts more experienced managers and develops its investigations team, it will become a stronger player on a national basis.
Future: Rapid expansion takes time for any business to catch up on and control. Now in the control phase, success will be determined by the management team's ability to attract and retain the right people, with the required level of client quality awareness. It will come, keep your eye on this organisation in the future.
Weaknesses: Too reliant on Work Cover makes this organisation vulnerable to changes in policy, price and allocation of work.
Strengths: Loyal, astute, dedicated and experienced management team, quality systems and good client base.
Past rating: 3 hearts
Today's rating: 3.5
M J Kerrigan & Associates
Owner: Maurice Kerrigan
Status: Melbourne establishment Investigation Agency that transferred the success formula to Queensland. Substantial quality control systems make this organisation a client favourite.
Expanding business: Core business is investigation, and currently the organisation is well established in Queensland and Victoria, with subcontractors in most other areas.
Diversifying business: Have a presence in NSW but not on the scale of Victoria and Queensland. Have added an RTO to business structure. LKA, Quest, Verifact have done this too, this is a client driven trend.
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Unknown
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: Unknown
Relationship with the Academy: Robust, established six years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Has own RTO will employ graduates.
Summary: Very well established and respected investigation agency, needs to focus attention on growing and developing corporate business outside the vicious price competitive insurance market.
Future: Excellent potential to capitalise on the past success and market positioning.
Weaknesses: Too reliant on Work Cover and Suncorp and the like makes this organisation vulnerable to changes in policy, price and allocation of work, and accepting issues such as charge outs.
Strengths: Family operated experienced management team, quality systems and loyal client base, Australia wide operation established over twenty years.
Past rating: 5 hearts
Today's rating: 3.5 hearts
Freeman's
Owner: Various Franchisees
Status: Established and has recently experienced some difficulties, but like any good business has bounced back strongly.
Expanding business: Unknown
Diversifying business: Unknown
Retaining investigators on wages: Yes
Growing surveillance business: Not applicable they use sub contractors.
Training investigation staff: Yes
Losing investigators to competitors: Mostly the franchises are held by partnerships and individuals, so this does not apply.
Relationship with the Academy: Good established six years.
Employing Academy Graduate Students: Yes
Summary: This is an established franchise, which must have its ability to fight back respected.
Future: Good future but must be more aware of competition to retain market share in the Loss Adjustment area. This franchise has loyal clients, and established relationships.
Past rating: 2 hearts
Today's rating: 2
hearts
Emerging Threats
I have noted a big American Investigation Company is trying to establish itself in Queensland, Mike Evans' unwanted advice to them: Buy Mpol, Verifact, LKA or Milnes and do what they are doing if you want to get a foothold in Queensland. Be warned Barringtons could buy you three times, and still have change left over. Also lose the photographs of your management team in front of the stars and stripes, it does not work East of Hawaii and it just pisses people off.
God Bless America.
Summary - 2007 - 2008
Watch MPOL they accessed the NSW market and did it on their terms, in their own time when they were ready. MPOL will use its advanced marketing skill and quality systems to quickly expand its base in NSW and use it as a stepping stone to Queensland. MPOL have not made the mistakes others have when entering new markets too early. Get your resume out and send it in to their NSW Office now.
The future business success of the Investigation Agency in Australia today depends on growing corporate and government clients. Charge outs, no mileage payments, no travel payments, and the financial suicide rates demanded by insurers can be left small local investigators or Americans with flags. In recent times blind unquestioning acceptance of charge outs, no travel time and no mileage has caused good people to leave the big players in the industry or seek alternative employers.
There has never been more work available than there is today in the Australian Investigation industry. That does not mean you can start tomorrow, it means you must learn the skills the employers want. More work means more pressure on Investigation Agencies and a higher demand for quality trained investigators, who require little extra training when employed. The organisations in this article are the big players, there are hundreds of small one, two and three person agencies in Australia who have work and do excellent work on behalf of clients.
The opinions expressed in this article are Mike Evans' personal opinion and if he wakes up any one mentioned in it - Good.
The rating scale is based on where Mike Evans would like to work (none of them would actually employ him - he is too hard to get along with), the management style, systems for staff continuity and support, five hearts being the highest based on the current state of the industry and the organisations competitiveness in a tough market place.
1 hearts Mike Evans would personally like to work there as an investigator.
2 hearts The Management Team is experienced, progressive and can compete.
3 hearts This firm is expanding, professional and has new client acquisition strategies, beyond CTP and Work Cover financial suicide pay rates.
4 hearts This organisation will continue to develop new clients and retain past ones.
5 hearts This organisation cares about its investigation staff and support team.
Relationship with the Academy
Robust means, knows Mike Evans is difficult to deal with, but the organisation uses or has used his training and development services reluctantly.
Excellent means the required training is not for licensing.