In 1994 Std Labs decided to use a part of the Evansville Coal Laboratory to develop an environmental effort to augment its coal business in that area. This initiative was called Standard Environmental and was managed by Judy Snider who had been an integral part of Tim Steiner’s staff in the coal lab there. Roger Wilson, also from the coal lab, was put in charge of the field sampling and customer contacts for the new business.
After two years of operation Std Labs was approached by Dave Carson of Oil Field Recycling who had put in a captive lab called National Laboratories, to support his business which was also in Evansville.
Carson had been using a consultant, Steve Barnett, who had extensive experience in the environmental laboratory space, Utah, to evaluate the viability of his in-house lab. Steve convinced Carson that he really did not require a lab and suggested Carson sell his equipment to Std Labs.
A deal was reached in 1996 in which Std Labs acquired the assets of Carson’s lab for about $250,000.00 and Steve was hired to combine the two businesses into a single enterprise.
Std Labs had previously set up a partnership with Earl Hess of Lancaster Laboratories, Inc of Pennsylvania, an associate with Troy and Gladys in The American Counsel of Independent Laboratories. This partnership was an environmental laboratory located in Salt Lake City, Utah under the initial management of Ray Sims and then later under Doug Later. The name of this venture was Mountain States Analytical, Inc. (See Mountain States Analytical in the “Partnership” section.)
To be consistent, the new Evansville lab was thereby named Central States Analytical, Inc. Later, another Std Labs partnership in Pikeville Kentucky was called Appalachian States Analytical, Inc and was managed by Ama Bently. (See Appalachian States Analytical in the “Partnership” section.)
Central States Analytical (CSA) found a new building and acquired new equipment and used equipment from a variety of sources including Meade Johnson Corporation. Some new people were hired and some of the coal lab personnel were retained and Judy returned to the coal lab as Special Projects Manager.
CSA initially preformed work utilizing an ICP, three GC’s and a wet chemistry lab in the environmental market as well as doing some food testing. The primary customers were General Electric, Alcoa, Whirlpool, Toyota, Meade Johnson, AK Steel and some previous coal clients. In 1999 Steve convinced Cargill Corp through their QA Manager, Del Allen, to permit CSA to provide some food testing.
CSA grew to become a business of about 50 people until several years later this business was sold to Microbic Laboratories, Inc. Steve then started a new food testing business consisting of on-site labs for Cargill with Troy which, while not affiliated with Std Labs, but did purchased accounting support services from the company.
This effort continued for about ten years under it was sold to the Marshfield Clinic in Marshfield, Wisconsin.