Startup: Vital signs of a young regional company

Northwest Investigations & Consulting 12180 S.E. Henderson Drive, Portland Formed in June 2007

The product: Private and insurance investigation, including missing persons, surveillance and pre-employment background checks.

Price: Based on contract; averages about $75 an hour.

The founder: Steven Robinett, 46, is a licensed private investigator in Oregon and a general lines insurance adjuster in Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Alaska. Before going out on his own, Robinett worked for an insurance adjusting company and a private investigation company.

Employees: Three, including Robinett; Nick Cole, an investigator with three years of experience; and Robinett's wife, Christina, who handles administrative duties. Clients: Mostly law firms, including Rosenthal & Greene, Abbott & Paris and The Law Offices of Wendy M. Kent.

Where they work: They operate out of the Robinetts' Southeast Portland home.

The idea source: He heard from attorneys who had become frustrated by the lack of depth -- and results -- in their investigators' work. For example, they'd come up blank after a computer search and bill the clients anyway. Robinett was sure he could do better. "We still use computers, but if we don't find anything, we revert back to the old gumshoe."

The money: Robinett and his wife took out a second mortgage on their house to raise $15,000. Other money has come from revenue.

The dream: Robinett wants to build a company that functions well without him, sell it and retire comfortably.

The fear: "That a recession will come, affect our clients and lead them to use their in-house people instead of us," Robinett says.

The forecast: Expects to be profitable in three years; hopes to have five to seven employees in five years.

Inspirational quote: "Having eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." -- Sherlock Holmes

Web site: http://nwinvestigation.com

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