VeriFacts sold to executive team

STERLING – Jim and Sheila Gabler will sell VeriFacts to a four-member executive team at the company they started in 1987.

The Gablers started the business with three employees in two small offices in the Midland States building. Now the company is a national leader in data verification services. It locates people for its clients, most of which are in the financial services sector.

The Gablers retired from VeriFacts nearly 3 years ago, giving the executive team an opportunity to ease into an ownership role.

“I’ve had employee ownership in mind for 5 or 6 years, and they have definitely deserved the right to do this,” Jim Gabler said.

Gabler declined to disclose the sale price. He wasn’t sure whether he would be actively involved with the company going forward. Both he and his wife have remained on the board of directors after retiring.

“Any role I might have is up to the new owners, and that has not been discussed,” Gabler said.

The new owners of VeriFacts will be CEO Stephanie Clark, and executive vice presidents Andrew House, Rebecca Garland and Angela Frederick. The ownership change has been formally announced to the company’s 140 workers.

The executive team has worked together for more than 15 years. In their new roles, they are eager to continue what the Gablers started – stay on a steady growth path, create jobs in the Sauk Valley, and instill a family atmosphere within its workplace.

“We couldn’t be more thankful for the opportunities this company has given us,” Clark said. “I assure you that the values we live by today that guide our decisions will continue. I see a very bright future ahead for all of us.”

The executive team has recently raised its starting hourly wage to $15, plus monthly and quarterly bonuses. Flexible schedules and reduced hours have been priorities in an effort to help employees find more balance in their lives.

The company’s steady growth has been the impetus for several changes in the last few years. In May 2018, Gabler announced plans to buy the former Halo Branded Solutions building at 1980 Industrial Drive. Plans are in the works for the sale of its downtown building at 204 First Ave., but the prospective buyer has said it would be premature to make an announcement.