A Decade of SAS Data Retrieval: Celebrating 10 Years of Growth, Resilience, and Innovation

by [Admin](/content/author/designabigaildean-org/ "Posts by Admin"/index.html) | Feb 17, 2025

On Sunday, February 16th, SAS Data Retrieval marked a monumental milestone—our 10-year anniversary of providing background screening services. A decade ago, SAS was just a dream, a one-man operation built on a leap of faith that would change the course of our future.

Imagine this: You’ve finally taken the honeymoon you’ve been putting off for years, seeking some well-deserved rest and relaxation. You’re about to get in the water, trying to disconnect, but your first client confirmation comes through. Not from the office, not from your home country—but from a beach in Thailand, struggling to get a Wi-Fi signal. That was the moment Seth Stapleton realized his dream was beginning to take shape, and that first client, who still partners with us today, became the foundation of what would be a thriving company.

Before SAS, Seth started his career as a researcher in Louisiana. However, after a few months, the company he worked for started scaling back and, eventually, shutting down. That’s when he decided to take the leap and move to Florida, even though selling services would be tough in an area where most services were online. He knew he needed to expand his reach, so he traveled across the U.S., building a network of local researchers and clerks to strengthen and scale his services nationwide. With a big vision and determination, Seth hired his first remote employees to support operations, and for the next few years, he worked tirelessly to grow the company – rarely seen without his laptop open, juggling Quality Assurance, pricing, client relations, and anything else needed to keep the business running.

By 2020, when COVID-19 disrupted the world, Seth’s focus shifted to preserving the team he had worked so hard to build. To keep everyone steady and avoid layoffs, he made the difficult decision to reduce hours across the board. He took out a loan which has since been repaid and leaned on government small business subsidies to weather the storm. This resilience paid off, and the company emerged from the challenges in a position of strength.

Then came 2021, a game-changer for the company. Seth’s wife, Izabel Stapleton, who owned a small CRA startup reliant on SAS as its supply chain, joined the company and closed her business. Her transition wasn’t just professional—it was personal. She was tired of not having her husband around, so she took the leap and became part of the team. Her fresh perspective quickly revealed a key issue: the company’s teams were siloed, and feedback wasn’t flowing efficiently. She knew that improving company culture was critical, so she made it her mission to introduce more structured communication and create a space for feedback from all levels. This focus on culture and structure became the bedrock of the company’s transformation.

In 2022, we welcomed our COO, Robin Schaffer, who brought an unwavering focus on security, scalability, and operational structure. This shift allowed us to streamline our work into distinct departments—Operations, Customer Support, Quality Assurance—and support them with robust administrative resources in HR and IT. Our company culture flourished with a clear set of values and an amazing team that has embraced growth, adaptability, and a professional mindset.

Fast forward to 2024. The industry was evolving—after a decade of mergers and acquisitions, the client pool for our core services was shrinking. We had scaled to a point where we were no longer turning away work; instead, we had to actively pursue it. At PBSA, we had our first booth, where we quickly realized that many in the industry didn’t know who we were—yet. This sparked a shift in our marketing efforts, which have been gaining momentum. Shortly after, we brought on a Director of Business Development, who refined our service offerings and pricing structures, setting the stage for our next phase of growth.

One of the things that sets us apart? We have no investors, no board—just two owners relying on profits or leveraged debt to keep it all running. That means there’s no outside influence clouding our mission, vision, or values. Our mission is to set the standard in the background check industry for accuracy, dependability, and customer service, ensuring every American has the opportunity to confidently and reliably secure housing and employment. Our vision is to build a world founded on trust while challenging the status quo in the industry. At our core, we prioritize customers, teamwork, integrity, accountability, and a culture of innovation and empathy.

As we continue to ramp into 2025, we’re gearing up for even more growth. From sponsoring a podcast – The Background Screening Collective – to refining our service offerings, we are pushing the boundaries of what we can achieve. We are incredibly proud of how far we’ve come and excited for what the next decade holds. If you’re looking for a trusted partner in background screening, let’s start the next chapter together!