Our History
Inquisitor, Inc. is one of the Southeast’s largest investigation firms, founded in 1978 by Ron Lax to provide quality investigative services to corporations, law firms, insurance companies, individuals and government institutions.
A pioneer in this industry, Ron cultivated his love of investigative work from his experience working at Guardsmark to operating offices in Little Rock, Arkansas; Knoxville to Nashville, Tennessee; and Jackson, Mississippi. He built Inquisitor into one of the largest, most respected investigative companies in the Southeast.
Ron was a founding member of the Tennessee Board of Private Investigation Commission and served for many years to ensure that standards for professionalism were upheld. In 2006, he was recognized for his outstanding work in capital defense by TACDL. He was a frequent speaker at seminars and universities sharing his expertise. In 2013 he received the Investigator of the Year award from TPIA and the Citizenship of the Year award from TACDL. After Ron’s courageous battle with cancer ended in 2013, devoted investigator Alyson Frazier who worked for Ron since 1990, operated the company until her passing in 2016.
With pride in it's history, Senior Investigators Vita Zelikov and Jen Hoff have continued to maintain and expand the company. It is only through the hard work, dedication, and passion from our loyal team, that Inquisitor blazes new trails for clients needing our expertise in investigative services.
Our Team
The Inquisitor, Inc. team is comprised of highly trained investigators and support staff that provide above-and-beyond service to our clients. Our work can encompass a broad range of needs for our clients. We can also perform many investigations on an as-needed basis that may not be routine for us, but certainly are not beyond our scope. From non-compete agreement investigations, employee theft interrogations, apartment or store undercover shopping to missing person investigations – Inquisitor is committed to offering each client services of the highest quality, coupled with high degrees of integrity, professionalism, responsiveness, and compassion.
Senior Investigators
Vita ZELIKOV, Previous president
It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Vita; our team will continue her mission as well as those that led us before her.
Ms. Zelikov's ability to obtain difficult information from her witnesses proves invaluable in trial. As a member of the criminal defense team for over 11 years, Ms. Zelikov works with attorneys in every capacity to meet their needs. Ms. Zelikov holds a Masters in Science in Criminology.
jennifer l. hoff, chief executive officer (CEO)
Ms. Hoff's previous experience in multiple health care settings and as an agency investigator for the developmentally disabled, and as a private investigator since 1994, benefits the many individuals and clients she has contact with on a daily basis. Ms. Hoff has worked on numerous criminal defense cases in the role of a fact and mitigation investigator and provides guidance to the newest members of our staff. Ms. Hoff holds a B.S. Ed from the University of Memphis.