By Debbie Adams
Interested in a job in the security field? Need to recertify for a security job already held? Want to
learn the basics of handguns? Talk to Tom Akers and Selma Ferris, CEOs of Appalachia
Training Institute (VA DCJS #88-10749) in Vinton. They are licensed by the Virginia
Department of Criminal Justice Services.
“Bridging the Gap between Knowledge and Wisdom” is the core principle behind their business.
(Their business sign is a photo of a bridge in Appalachia, one of Akers’ favorite places.)
They say they believe in “delivering top-tier training to both new and experienced security
professionals. Whether they work as security officers, private investigators, or special
conservators of the peace, it’s essential to ensure they are receiving the best training possible.”
Akers is the Senior Instructor and Training School Director for the company; Ferris is the Chief
Information Officer. Akers’ wife, Sharon, is the Chief Financial Officer. They incorporated their
business in February 2024, located at 227 S. Maple Street in downtown Vinton.
Ferris and Akers met when she signed up for a recertification class he was teaching. She was
“impressed by how great an instructor Tom was; I learned so much—more than in any other
class I had taken.”
At the time, she was a private investigator and security officer. She graduated in 1990 from Blue
Ridge Community College with an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Engineering
Technology but eventually began working as a security officer. Her boss suggested she enhance
her experience by training in investigations, so she took the course to become registered and kept
it renewed through the years.
Later she moved to Roanoke and began working for a private investigation firm handling
personal injury cases. Her husband retired, and she chose to be voluntarily unemployed until
October 2019, but still signed up to renew her registration for investigations in a training school,
where Akers was her instructor.
Akers, a Navy veteran, was working as a fraud investigator for a local bank headquarters.
Previously he had conducted investigations with retail and private security and was also a
Special Conservator of the Peace (SCOP) at Roanoke College. He had also been the
administrator of campus security at Virginia Commonwealth University, where his father had been a police lieutenant. He had served as a regional jail officer. He had also been a truck driver
on and off since 1981 off and on, a photographer.
He holds a VA DCJS instructor certification as well as a VA DCJS registration for private
investigator.
Sharon Akers studied accounting and banking and finance at Virginia Western. They met Ferris
and began the discussion about opening a business together.
In Virginia, becoming a private investigator is primarily about meeting DCJS requirements.
Applicants must be at least 18 years old, clear a background check and pass a 60-hour private
investigator course with at least a 70% score. After completing the course, they can receive their
registration and begin working in the field. Opening a private investigation agency requires
additional steps, including securing a business license and registering with the State Corporation
Commission.
After much discussion, in late 2019 the three decided to go into business together as private
investigators. Unfortunately, that was just when the COVID pandemic hit, bringing with it
lockdowns and quarantines.
However, the pandemic also increased the need for moving goods, so they modified their plans
to fit the situation they were presented with. In lieu of obtaining their CDL licenses they decided
to open a business (Tea2Sea Transport) using a cargo van—a 2019 Mercedes-Benz sprinter van.
They partnered with a secondary company to provide “last mile delivery” service transporting
office goods to homes and businesses. There was little traffic on the road during the pandemic,
but it was hard to find an open restaurant. Fuel prices were increasing; the challenges were
mounting, so the discussion was revived about private investigation work.
They sold the van and started Tea2Sea LLC (VA DCJS Business License #11-19986) in May
2022, mainly doing background investigations, quick clean deed scans, skip tracing for attorneys
and creditors, fraud investigations, and heir vetting. (Ferris is a genealogist and used to
researching family trees.) They used the Akers’ home in Vinton as their base to bypass costly
office rent. The Town of Vinton assisted with rezoning.
They have retained the Tea2Sea, LLC, private investigation business, in addition to establishing
the Appalachia Training Institute in 2024.
Appalachia Training Institute provides proper security personnel education and offers the most
up-to-date, instructor-led training, which includes real-life experiences and role-play scenarios.
Instructor-led sessions provide personalized feedback and hands-on experience, allowing
students to learn directly from veteran security professionals. Role-playing allows students to
experience real-life scenarios in a controlled setting. These exercises increase awareness and
improve decision-making skills under pressure.
Their game plan with the training institute is to offer courses not only in Vinton (there are two
training rooms in their building on Maple) but throughout Southwest Virgina. Akers says that is what sets them apart from other training schools—their willingness to travel and teach courses
after hours (on weekends and evenings), either at a business or another venue, enabling students
not to be absent from work for training.
They offered a mini-academy in early April for those interested in entering the
private security field who would like to become an armed security officer. The academy
included:
- Unarmed Security Officer Entry-Level Core Subjects
- Armed Security Officer Arrest Authority
- Security Officer Handgun
Courses they currently offer are Security Officer Core Subjects (entry and in-service level),
Private Investigator (entry and in-service level), Arrest Authority, Special Conservator of the
Peace (entry and in-service levels), Entry level Handguns, Handgun Re-qualification, Shotgun
(entry and re-qualification) and Security Officer Handgun Course (entry level).
They also have a new night course coming up on April 23. The class, titled “Advanced Report
Writing” will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. This course is not just for security; it is also
beneficial for those in other employment sectors, particularly to enhance your skill set.
Appalachia Training Institute also conducts trainings that are not Division of
Criminal Justice Services, such as how to prepare for emergencies, classes for concealed carry
firearms, what to do during a natural disaster, or preparing home security checklists. Ferris and
Akers set up a booth at the recent 2025 Vinton Senior Expo to make senior citizens and their
caregivers aware of the services they provide.
Akers says they generally require a group of five to arrange a class which usually costs $50 for
four hours.
For more information, contact Appalachia Training Institute by phone at 540-595-9316, visit the
website at www.appalachiatraininginstitute.com, email takers@appalachia-training-
institute.com, or stop by their office at 227 S. Maple Street in Vinton (across from the Vinton
Library and Vinton History Museum).
