Address: 111 S. Johnson St., Bluffton
At a glance: The licensed company conducts confidential investigation services and offers security and counterterrorism consulting services. Owner and general manager Ralph A. Garcia, who is retired from the Central Intelligence Agency and the Drug Enforcement Administration, is one of the few bilingual private investigators in the state.
Employees: Two
Annual revenue: About $60,000 when the company was operating on a part-time basis. ACE Interpretations opened its current office and started operating full time in September.
How old is the company: The company was founded in January 2001.
Biggest accomplishment in the past 12 months: Locating a suspect in an insurance fraud and cyberstalking case in Spain. An Indianapolis investigative firm, Green Consulting Group, hired ACE Interpretations to help pursue a man suspected of defrauding an insurance company.
"Once we located the individual, we turned the entire case over to the Spanish authorities."
What are the key challenges facing your business or industry: Garcia is working to better market the business and its new storefront.
"I'm learning that networking is probably the biggest market I can use."
Garcia has joined state and national organizations for private investigators to network with others in the industry.
What are your growth projections for the next five years: "I hope to double, at least, the annual income and be consistent. That's my plan."
Garcia also wants to land a contract for foreign assignments with one of the largest investigation companies in the state.
What's one thing about your business that people may not be aware of: The company markets a pre-paid legal service to its clients. ACE Interpretations also sells an identity theft shield for another company that insures customers against identity theft and helps victims of the crime restore their credit.
"The aggravation involved with identity theft is huge, and the other thing is identity theft is the fastest-growing white-collar crime."
Source: Ralph A. Garcia, owner and general manager