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He's since assembled some of the nation's premiere investigators, forensic experts and agents, including Denver-based H. Ellis Armistead, who has worked on some of the highest profile cases in the country, including the Oklahoma City bombing and the JonBenet Ramsey slaying. We're client focused and relentlessly committed to offering our clients the clear-eyed, timely and cost-effective facts and services they need to make smart decisions and reach successful outcomes.
Heartland Bio Quick Links
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Nothing like a bridge collapse to test your skills. As one of the first retained private investigators at the Interstate 35W bridge disaster, Heartland’s CEO, Paul Jaeb, realized how years heading Minnesota’s premier investigative firm made it possible for him to gather the facts under the most chaotic of conditions.
Paul founded Heartland Investigative Group in 1991. His leadership is guided by his wide-ranging experience in legal investigations, background profiling, corporate fraud investigations and security consulting. He has solved dozens of complex corporate fraud cases, conducted dozens of high-level security audits and advised the region’s leading executives on issues related to corporate security. Paul attended the University of Minnesota with a political science major. He’s a Chartered Fraud Investigator™ and is currently serving as National Director of the National Association of Legal Investigators. He’s an active member of the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners, the Society of Competitive Intelligence Professionals, and the American Society for Industrial Security. Paul is one of the founding members of Investigative and Security Professionals for Legislative Action, federal political action committee. View as individual bio page > View LinkedIn profile and recommendations > |
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You may not know Ellis Armistead by name, but you know his work as one of the nation’s premiere investigators.
Ellis was retained within hours of the Columbine High School shootings. Three years before, he worked with the attorneys representing John and Patsy Ramsey after the death of their daughter, JonBenet. Other clients have included Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh. Ellis has been recognized nationally as an expert witness in crime scene investigation and police procedure. He is now President of Heartland Investigative Group, managing our elite team of professional investigators with a level of knowledge and experience unsurpassed in our industry. Ellis holds a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Colorado. He was a police officer for 18 years, before beginning his own private investigative firm in 1991. He has also served as the chief investigator of the 14th Judicial District Attorney’s Office and as a deputy coroner for Routt County, CO. He is a Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) through the National Association of Investigators and has served as the organization’s National Director. View as individual bio page > |
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Law school teaches the letter of the law; business and politics drive home the reality of law in action. Jennifer Brown has both the legal education and real-world experience to get the job done right, specializing in investigating criminal cases and intellectual property matters.
Jennifer has a law degree and over 13 years of experience in the corporate, legal and public sector. She started as a Washington, D.C. staffer for a U.S. Senator and has gone on to work for software companies, database firms and some of the premier legal and investigative firms in the Rocky Mountain region. As one of Heartland’s senior investigators, she’s a specialist in pre-trial and litigation support for attorneys, including in-depth background checks, locating and interviewing witnesses and research. She’s also the author of numerous articles in respected publications detailing investigative issues of importance to other investigators and the business community. Jennifer holds a law degree from the University of South Dakota School of Law. She’s a Certified Legal Investigator (CLI) through the National Association of Legal Investigators, as well as a member of numerous professional organizations, including the Professional Private Investigators Association of Colorado. View as individual bio page > |
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Kevin Eckhoff understands people – and their motivations. His distinctive experience, earned from investigating patrons in the casinos of Las Vegas to managing felony level prisoners in the penal system of Minnesota, makes him an invaluable member of Heartland’s field staff. He’s an experienced field investigator with a talent for getting witnesses to provide material information.
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Customers shoplift. Employees steal. Theft is a nagging unsolved headache for many companies, large and small. But not when Greg Rosten is on board. Greg is our Director of Asset Protection. He brings 19 years of experience in loss prevention and Retail security to Heartland. He has worked successfully and cooperatively with law enforcement officials and retail personnel to apprehend more than 1,000 shoplifters and has investigated individuals involved in organized crime rings, leading to their arrest. In addition, his extensive executive protection and surveillance experience adds leadership to our executive services team. Greg also runs Heartland’s uniformed security division. Our focus on retail and commercial accounts is well served by Greg’s experience in heading the security efforts of leading shopping centers and commercial office towers in the Twin Cities. Greg holds a B.S. degree in criminal justice and a Sociology minor from Bemidji State University. He’s a member of ASIS International and the National Retail Federation. View as individual bio page > |
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Today more than ever, companies understand the critical need of developing comprehensive and material background information on potential new hires and possible business partnerships. But the facts may be well hidden in a frustrating trail of misinformation built over time. Extreme due diligence requires expert analysis, peeling apart complex layers of data. When our clients need high-level background profiles, Heartland goes to Tom Jaeb and his fifteen year track-record of getting results.
As Vice President at our Minneapolis office, he’s respected for his leadership, research abilities, clear communication and consulting/teaching proficiency. His clients have included law firms, banks, insurance companies, investors and hedge funds. Tom has extensive experience in asset investigation, skip tracing and competitive intelligence. Tom is a Certified Identity Theft Risk Management Specialist. He is a member of the Council of International Investigators. His public speaking engagements include presentations for the Minnesota Bar Association, Lorman Education Services, the National Business Institute, the Independent Community Bankers Association of Minnesota and the National Association of Credit Managers among others. View as individual bio page > |
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Pat Geagan is a well-known and respected leader in the Twin Cities area. He’s the former police chief and mayor of Eagan, Minnesota and is a veteran of 30 years in law enforcement. We’re honored to have him as a part of our staff, specializing in environmental and criminal investigations.
Pat is a past president of the state's police chief's association and a graduate of the FBI National Academy, the premiere continuing education institution for law enforcement professionals. |
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Heartland is dedicated to the multi-cultural perspective needed these days to get the job done. Julia Holguin's first language is Spanish, so we can offer her fluency in cases requiring that language. Julia brings excellent organizational and people skills to the staff, delivered with confidence in the undercover, criminal defense and civil cases we’ve assigned her. She earned her bachelor’s degree from the University of Colorado Denver, majoring in political science and communications. She is currently enrolled at the University of Colorado Denver, earning her master’s degree in criminal justice. |
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Knowledge is power. In today’s data-overloaded world, you need to know where to look for and how to sift through complex layers of information to establish the facts. Susan Kolar has spent 13 years at Heartland, honing her research skills, specializing in search and retrieval of public record information.
Susan is an authority in the Uniform Commercial Code (UCC) and in NAIC verification reports for the insurance industry. Because of her knowledge and extraordinary efficiency, we rely on her as a managing investigator specializing in high-level background and due diligence investigations. Susan attended North Hennepin Community College. Her additional training includes several CLE programs relating to corporate structure and UCC Article 9. She’s a member of the Business and Professional Women’s Association and is currently serving as first vice-president at the local level. |
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Top-notch surveillance takes supreme patience, street smarts, experience and solid training. At Heartland, Brad is our surveillance specialist, as well as the respected manager of our staff involved in surveillance cases. We value his 11 years of success in field investigation that guarantees Heartland can give you the kind of client service you demand: meticulously documented, discrete and effective.
Bradley holds a bachelor of elective studies degree from St. Cloud University and attended the Law Enforcement Academy in Alexandria, MN. He has extensive specialized training, including advanced firearms; defensive tactics and use of force; observational psychology and verbal control; GenderSmart communication; and threat assessment. Brad’s specialties include witness interviews, locating individuals and protection details. |
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When it comes to interviewing witnesses, you want Colleen Nichols on your side.
That’s what comes of years of experience as a skilled FBI interrogator brought with sensitivity to the private sector. Colleen epitomizes perseverance in the face of difficult cases. She’s a former FBI Special Agent who specialized in major white-collar and organized crime. She helped lead the investigation into the Navy's Tailhook scandal. Over the years, she’s tackled such issues as fraud, theft, contract violations, regulation non-compliance, fugitives, extortion and kidnapping. As a Heartland Senior Investigator, she’s recognized as a relentless fact-finder, trusted for her expertise in providing testimony in trial proceedings. Colleen holds a bachelor of science from St. Cloud University. She’s a graduate of the FBI Academy and is a former FBI Certified polygraph examiner. |
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Joining the Heartland team in 2008 in the corporate security division, Charlie Vashro’s talent was quickly recognized. Just months later, Charlie was assigned as an undercover operative in a corporate investigation. Other assignments in the Heartland Investigative Group have included surveillance, competitive intelligence and field investigations. Currently an Investigator specializing in asset searches, Charlie’s composed demeanor, perceptiveness and eye for the details enhance his proven track record.
Charlie is a member of the International Association for Asset Recovery and will soon become a Certified Specialist in Asset Recovery (CSAR). While serving in the United States Air Force, Charlie was an Electronic Warfare Technician. Charlie holds a BA in Criminal Justice with a minor in Communication from St. Cloud State University. He is currently working on his MBA at Augsburg College. |
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Energetic and dedicated to her clients, you can always count on Jennifer Blazei for accurate, thorough work. Jennifer began her career at Heartland in 2007 in the corporate security division after working in Loss Prevention for a major national retailer. Now an Investigator with Heartland Investigative Group, she excels in a wide variety of assignments, including fingerprinting, background investigations, field work and covert investigations.
While working toward her BA in Criminology (with a minor in Psychology) at the University of Minnesota-Duluth, Jennifer interned with the Duluth Police Department, focusing on financial criminal investigations. Jennifer also pursued extensive post-college training. Attending the Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College, Jennifer earned an Associate of Science degree in Law Enforcement and obtained Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Board Certification. |
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Dedicated. Committed to excellence and accuracy. Incredible business intelligence. Great approach to internal control and risk mitigation. Delivers results. These are just a few of the ways Abby Grenfell’s clients describe her. It’s not surprising that Abby has been recognized for outstanding service in her profession by the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. |
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Diane Jackson leads Heartland’s Asset Recovery Bureau. Using her unique methodology she has forwarded over $1.6 million in assets to their rightful owners. Navigating the complex array of regulations and laws pertaining to unclaimed property is a challenging ordeal. Diane leads her clients through this process with her steady hand and the backing of the region’s leading investigative firm.
Clients, including the Minnesota Twins, American Legion, and dozens of individuals, uniformly praise Diane for her professionalism and integrity.
"I wasn't sure what to think at first and I'm very happy that I met and hired Diane. She used her investigating skills to identify money that was owed to my company. She made the process very easy for me to claim our money and I received it sooner than expected. I never would have known about this without Diane. Job well done Thank you." - Bob Freytag, President of Introworks "Diane was extremely responsive with a quick turnaround. She made the process easy and the results were timely, as promised." - Amy Hillman, Controller Snyder Drug Stores "Having worked with Diane in several capacities I can allest to her diligence in getting the job done with extreme attention to detail. Her clients are her number one priority and Diane's drive, motivation and strong business ethics will be apparent immediately. She is professional, customer service focused and knows how to get the job done! Highly recommend working with her!" - Rosalie Landt, Technical Recruiter, ACIR CDR, St. Jude Medical AF "Diane was very professional, kept me in the loop on all details and was thorough on follow up. I like that as a businessman. I highly recommend her service if she has found a reason you need her. Feel free to contact me @ mikeberg@realtyneeds.com" - Michael Berg, Broker Owner, Realty Needs "Diane identified some property that belonged to our company and then walked me through the steps and paperwork to claim it. we received the money in about the exact amount of time that Diane said it would take. I would recommend Diane for her follow up skills and ease to do business with." - Tom Alston, Controller Thermo King “I recently had the privilege of working with Diane Jackson. Diane helped US Federal Credit Union recover a significant sum of money. Diane helped us to easily navigate the complex road of asset recovery. I would highly encourage any other organization to consider working with Diane, should they find themselves in a similar position to US Federal Credit Union." - Jeff Olson, AVP-Asset Protection, US Federal Credit Union |
