Meet Ryan Johnston

Today we’d like to introduce you to Ryan Johnston.

Ryan, let’s start with your story. We’d love to hear how you got started and how the journey has been so far.
I was interested in becoming a private investigator in 1984 after taking a one day course and expressed this to my brother, who was a bartender at that time. He indicated a customer of his is a private investigator and arranged an introduction. Several months later the investigator, Bob Heales, called me and asked if I would like to come work for their company. I jumped at the chance and stayed with that company (RA Heales & Associates) for 16 years until I decided to break out on my own and form my first company, Night Moves of Denver, Private Investigations.

During this time I remained good friends with Bob Heales of RA Heales & Associates and in 2017, he stated that he wanted to retire and asked if I would be interested in purchasing his company. I have always had the highest respect for Bob Heales and the company he had built and therefore was honored to take over this company. At the same time my company, Night Moves of Denver was in the process of re-branding to Colorado Private Investigations, LLC and that is the current name under which all companies are operating.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The profession can take some adjustment for those who are not completely dedicated, as it takes a commitment of 24/7, 365 days a year and even more so when you create your own company. Clients will need our services at all times of the day and night and it is not unusual for us to be working on all holidays. Some client expectations are unrealistic and we are constantly teaching clients what we can and can not do, as we will not do anything illegal. However, television has made it seem like private investigators have no boundaries and will do anything to get a result.

Also, people would be surprised to know for many years Colorado was one of very few states without private investigator licensing. This presented problems in our profession and I have always believed that Colorado should have licensing, to give the consumer an idea of who they are working with.

As a board member of our state association, the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado I had the opportunity to lead attempts to achieve this goal, by working closely with our state legislators. This was an extremely difficult process, but also a learning experience, however, I am extremely proud to say we accomplished this goal and as of June 1, 2015, there is mandatory licensing of all private investigators in Colorado.

Please tell us more about your work. What else should we know? What sets you apart from the competition?
Many people think private investigators can/should conduct all types of investigations, from background checks to cellular forensics to surveillance. If you want to be successful as a private investigator, you should concentrate on one niche. Our niche is surveillance and this is what I have been doing since 1984. We have been recognized by many of our peers across the country as being one of the top surveillance agencies around.

Given the previous statement about having a niche, we always try to accommodate all clients with their needs by connecting them with an associate who can help them if their need is not surveillance. We have contacts throughout the world, so we try to steer every client to the appropriate investigator, rather than trying to make money off of every client. We are very proud that we do this and many clients have thanked us for getting them to the company who can help them best with their specific needs.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I feel successful when we have the appreciation of our clients for what we have done for them, the honesty we give them to tell them what we can not do for them, as well as the admiration of our peers. We are members of our state association, the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado, our national association, the National Council of Investigation & Security Services and the World Association of Detectives.

I truly believe that anybody we have worked within any of these associations, would have good things to say about Colorado Private Investigations, LLC, and that means a lot to us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.denvercpi.com
• Phone: 303-456-4779 or 888-456-4779
• Email: Coloradopi@aol.com
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Colorado-Private-Investigations-LLC-1844163532508158/
• Twitter: @denvercpi

 

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