During the year, 1998, Appalachian States Analytical was established as a partnership of Std Labs, Gilbert Coal Testing of Gilbert, WV and Ama Bentley. Ama Bently was previously with McCoy and McCoy (a water testing firm out of Lexington, KY) and Terry Sammons was the owner of Gilbert Testing in Gilbert, WV. This new venture […]

In 1997 a new lab was established in Fairfield, Texas with Neil Sesco initially as manager and later with Sharon Swinson as manager. This lab was in operation until 2015 when the customer’s requirements were changed.

This year SEER Services was opened by Mick Samples which is discussed under the “Diversification” section. Mick was assisted in engineering by Tom Moore formerly of Amax Coal Co. A lab in Lookout, Wv was installed in 1996 and David Denny became manager. He was later succeeded by Clay Fields. Std Labs acquires National Laboratories

The year 1995 brought Todd Stallard into PSI as Sales Manager. Todd had obtained a degree in entrepreneurship from Gettysburg College. He then spent a couple of years working for Commercial Insurance of Charleston, WV. There he developed sales, marketing and organizational skills under the tutorship of Frank Baer who had long been a supplier

The year 1994 brought about many changes as the Coalscan Technologies partnership was officially dissolved and Kirby Martin left the business to pursue other options. About this time the Ashland Division was created with Mick Samples as Vice President. The customer, Ashland Coal Company had three labs to support their mining and transportation facilities. Two

The lab at Big Sandy, KY was closed in 1993. 1993 saw the establishment of Vanguard Technologies under Lee Rigsby to be discussed under the “Partnership” Section.

Gould Energy of New York owned by Greg Gould sold its laboratories in Cresson, Pennsylvania, Gormania, West Virginia and a saellite facility in St. Louis, Mo. to Std Labs in 1992. In addition to the new facilities, Std Labs received managers that have had tremendous impact on the parent company. Steve Miladinovich, who was Gould

Mick Samples became President of Coalscan Sales, Inc. in 1991 while maintaining his job as Corporate Technical Director. That same year (1991) was a year of both advances and setbacks as Std Labs acquired the Peabody Coal Company Central Laboratory in Freeburg, Illinois with Rich Wilburn as its manager. (Discussed under Acquisitions.) Rich served as

The year 1990 marked a key event in the history of the company as Std Labs acquired the coal, environmental and water testing assets of Core Laboratories (discussed in the Acquisitions Section) which comprised eight labs located in Texas, Indiana and Wyoming. This purchase brought into the company a number of new managers including Mike

1985 brought another venture into the coal testing equipment business as Std Labs became a partner of Mineral Consultants of Australia in the entity named “Coalscan Sales, Inc.” which is discussed under the “Partnership” Section. Also in 1985 Linda Vitatoe closed the Caryville lab and opened a lab in Jacksboro, She was manger for many