Company History

Once upon a time in a far away land known as Wisconsin, a young lady went to work as a Private Investigator. Upon graduating from Winona State University in Minnesota, with a BS degree in pre-law/paralegal studies, the young lady decided to stray from law towards the investigative field.  By applying to Private Investigative Agencies listed in the Yellow Pages she was lucky enough to have met her boss charming, Ed Willey.  Ed was a retired Chicago Police Officer who owned Commercial Investigations – yes, the original Commercial Investigations.  Ed’s company logo was a traditional eagle with an olive branch and his company colors were red and grey. 

While working at the original Commercial Investigations the young lady learned hands on what she had been taught in her investigation classes.  Such as, how to conduct interviews that have favorable results for the employer who was their client; how to successfully run an undercover operation; how to perform surveillance mostly for workers compensation cases; how to legally serve process papers; and, most importantly, how to conduct background investigations.  After a very stressful workers’ compensation surveillance case Ed called the young lady in from the field and into the office.  It was then that he  introduced her to background investigations.  She was amazed at the amount of information available and the resources Ed used to generate the background investigation reports, and, most importantly how safe this type of investigation work was.

Let’s fast-forward to today.  I’m Michelle Pyan, President and founder of Commercial Investigations LLC, and I was that young lady private investigator.  I am now a seasoned lady with a company that turned 10 years old this March 8, 2014.  Many people inquire as to how I got my start as a private investigator and about the history of Commercial Investigations LLC.  So, it is at this time, as I reflect on where we’ve been and most importantly formulate strategic plans as to where we’ll go, that I share our story with you. 

Ed had passed away a few years before the current Commercial Investigations was formed.  When forming Commercial Investigations LLC I reflected on how Ed took me under his wing.  He showed me the ropes, introduced me to other mentors, and sent me to educational conferences.  So, I called his wife and asked if I could use the name, logo and colors.  With the family’s blessing I set forth to establish Commercial Investigations LLC in January 2004.  We received our company Private Investigation Agency License to operate on March 8, 2004.  Our logo is a more contemporary eagle and our colors are, of course, red and grey.  A conscientious decision was made early on to focus on Background Investigations and formulate our niche there.  And, in May 2004 Due Diligence made his debut.  Due Diligence is a character with his own life and webpage that focuses on the importance of background investigations.  You can learn more about him Here.

Although we encounter interesting situations daily in our current background investigations activities, they are not as much of an adrenaline rush as being undercover, conducting surveillance in the woods and encountering a man with a gun, and other “on the street” investigations.  I prefer our safe and much calmer atmosphere.  Although background investigations are relatively safe, in true Private Eye fashion I have been known to carry a concealed weapon. 

My colleagues share my passion for background investigations and find the work rewarding and fulfilling.  We are rewarded daily when we locate a sex offender applying to a position that deals with children, someone convicted of assault applying for a healthcare position, or when a convicted drug dealer applies at a financial institution.  We look forward to the future of CI and thank our clients for our success and their support.  

Let’s see how this fairy tale ends . . . .  Stay tuned for years to come . . . .