Kelso, Wash. - Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., an environmental laboratory network headquartered in Kelso, Washington, announces the addition of three technical sales consultants.

Michael Fifield joined Columbia Analytical as the North Eastern Technical Sales Consultant. Fifield holds a B.S. in Chemistry and a master’s in Environmental Engineering Science as well as an MBA in Management. His previous experience includes Laboratory Services Manager at both Montgomery-Watson Harza in Albany, NY and Blasland, Bouck & Lee, Inc in East Syracuse, NY. Fifield has also worked as a Project Scientist and Quality Assurance Manager.

Gary Grammon joined as the Mountain West Technical Sales Consultant. Grammon comes to Columbia Analytical with over fourteen years of analytical laboratory service, sales and management experience, in addition to five years of experience as a Chemist and Project Manager. He holds a B.S. in Biology, and has worked in Montana, North Carolina, Oklahoma, and Utah.

Eileen Snyder joined as the Mid-Atlantic Technical Sales Consultant. Snyder brings over 20 years experience managing Federal, State and Commercial consulting projects in the MidAtlantic area. She also brings several years experience with the USEPA Superfund Contract Laboratory Program, HamptonClarke-Veritech Laboratory, and TestAmerica Laboratories, including laboratory sales and technical, regulatory and client services. Snyder holds a B.A. in Biology/Chemistry and an M.A. in Environmental Policy.

“With over 64 years of combined experience in the analytical field, this addition to our sales team is exactly what we need for our clients,” stated Joe Wiegel, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We are excited to expand our services with this knowledgeable group.”

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., an employee-owned company founded in 1986, provides a wide variety of analytical laboratory services to engineering consulting firms and industrial clients in the aerospace, automotive, engineering, government, mining, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, transportation, utilities, and waste management industries.

For more information about Columbia Analytical visit their website at www.caslab.com.

Kelso, Wash. - Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., an environmental laboratory network headquartered in Kelso, Washington, announces the addition of two vice president positions in sales and business development.

Howard Boorse was recently appointed Vice President of Strategic Markets. Boorse has more than 29 years of experience in analytical testing industry, including experience as a Quality Assurance Manager and Senior Chemist. Since joining Columbia Analytical in 1994, he has held positions in project management and business development.

Joe Wiegel has been named Vice President of Sales and Business Development. Wiegel began working with Columbia Analytical in 1994, as the hydrocarbons department supervisor and advanced into business development. He led a team at Columbia Analytical, which developed and implemented a robust data validation and reporting system. Wiegel rejoined Columbia Analytical in 2010 to fulfill the new vice president position.

“We are excited to have two strong performers join the management team,” stated Jim Carlson, president of Columbia Analytical. “Their strong technical backgrounds will be key to developing new services and capabilities that fit our clients’ needs.”

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc., headquartered in Kelso, Wash., provides a wide variety of analytical laboratory services including those in aerospace, automotive, engineering, government, mining, petrochemical, pharmaceutical, pulp and paper, transportation, utilities, and waste management industries.

For more information about Columbia Analytical visit their website at www.caslab.com.

Columbia Analytical’s Kelso laboratory is the first lab in the nation to have its assessment results submitted to the Department of Defense (DoD) Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (ELAP). Laboratories which seek to perform new testing projects for DoD environmental restoration programs need the DoD ELAP accreditation by October 1, 2009, according to a memorandum released by the Assistant Deputy Under Secretary of Defense.

“Our laboratories are well-versed in DoD QSM requirements and have been providing testing services for the DoD for many years,” said Lee Wolf, Quality Assurance Director for Columbia Analytical. ”Since NELAP standards were already established as the baseline for our quality systems, implementation of the QSM and compliance with the new DoD ELAP will not pose any significant challenges to current systems.”

DoD ELAP is a long-awaited program which standardizes the laboratory testing requirements of the US Navy, US Army Corps of Engineers (ACOE), and the Air Force Center for Engineering and the Environment (AFCEE). The program elevates the standard for laboratory operations and quality systems implementation. The foundation for the DoD ELAP is the DoD Quality Systems Manual (QSM) Version 4.1, which is based on NELAP and ISO standards for testing laboratories.

According to the memorandum, laboratories that currently have DoD component (Army, Navy, or Air Force) approvals in place will be subject to DoD ELAP requirements when those approvals expire or when scope changes are necessary. Laboratories which seek to perform testing for DoD environmental restoration programs for the first time or who hold an expired DoD approval need to be accredited in accordance with the DoD ELAP before they can provide services.

Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. is an employee-owned, full-service environmental analytical laboratory testing network established in 1986 and headquartered in Kelso, Washington. Their expertise encompasses air, water, dioxin, biological, pharmaceutical, solid and hazardous waste analyses.

For questions on the implementation and requirements of the DoD QSM contact Columbia Analytical at 360-577-7222 or visit their website at www.caslab.com.

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View the current status of Columbia Analytical’s DoD ELAP Accreditation.

 
UPDATE: Columbia Analytical (Kelso) is now accredited for the DoD-ELAP program…

KELSO, Wash. - Columbia Analytical received the Excellence in Workforce Education business award from the Kelso-Longview Chamber of Commerce in Cowlitz County, Wash.

This award honors employers who have demonstrated achievement in providing high quality workforce education and training in Cowlitz County.

Award recipients were selected based upon the development and implementation of workforce programs that are innovative in nature; improve the preparation and performance of the emerging or incumbent workforce; have measurable outcomes; and demonstrate collaboration between business, government, and education.

Columbia Analytical attributes the success of its workforce education program to having many quality educational opportunities. The company requires employees to participate in 16-hours of company-paid continuing education per year, which can include in-house training, outside seminars, self-study, with up to 100% tuition reimbursement. In addition, Columbia Analytical provides 16-hours of initial Ethics training to all new employees and provides on-going quarterly ethics training to all employees.

Columbia Analytical employees in its Kelso, Wash. laboratory participated in over 4,000 hours of company-paid continuing education in 2008 for an average of 24 hours per employee.

Columbia Analytical has partnered with Lower Columbia College (LCC) in Longview, Wash. to provide on-site technical training, including technical writing and introduction to chemistry courses, for its employees. President of Columbia Analytical, Steve Vincent, currently serves as the LCC Foundation President. Approximately 15% of the Columbia Analytical’s Kelso employees are LCC graduates and over 30% of its employees have taken LCC courses.

Columbia Analytical also provides two to three LCC Fellowships per year for selected candidates. This fellowship provides a 100% paid scholarship for books, fees and tuition as well as a part-time job for selected candidates. The company nurtures science focused education for deserving scholars with the hope that they will become outstanding employees for Columbia Analytical.

For more information, please contact Alicia Shepard of Columbia Analytical Services, Inc.

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Columbia Analytical Services, Inc. recently teamed with Gravity Environmental, LLC (Snoqualmie, WA) on a lower Columbia River project that called for high volume sampling to obtain ultra trace detection limits for a number of target compounds. The sampling was done using equipment that was custom built, validated, and optimized by Gravity Environmental. The sample media was prepared for use in the field by Columbia Analytical and then analyzed for ultra-trace concentrations of Organochlorine Pesticides, Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCB), Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAH), and Dioxins/Furans.

Shawn Hinz, Scientist/Owner of Gravity Environmental discusses their sampling techniques with Jeff Christian, Lab Director of Columbia Analytical.

KELSO, Wash. – Congressman Brian Baird, representing Washington’s 3rd Congressional District, recently toured the expansion of Columbia Analytical’s Kelso, Washington, laboratory facilities. The expansion doubled the size of the company’s Kelso operations.

As chairman of the Science and Technology Subcommittee on Research and Science Education, Rep. Baird was particularly interested in the innovative instrumentation used in the laboratory, such as the gas chromatograph triple quadrapole mass spectrometer (GC/MS/MS). With help from the Cowlitz Economic Development Council (CEDC), Columbia Analytical qualified for a deferral on Washington state sales tax, making it easier to attain the high-tech equipment.

“Because of his interest in science and technology, Rep. Baird enjoyed seeing how our laboratory has grown and how state government is helping spur economic growth in this area,” said Jeff Christian, Kelso Laboratory Director.

After touring the laboratory, Congressman Baird spent the afternoon with Columbia Analytical employees, answering questions about various current events taking place in the state and in the country. Founded in 1986, Columbia Analytical is an employee-owned national laboratory network, with operations in Arizona, California, Florida, Hawaii, New York, Texas, and Washington. The company employs more than 200 people at its Kelso, Washington, headquarters.

For more information on Columbia Analytical, call 800-695-7222 or visit the website at www.caslab.com.

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Contact:
Dee O’Neill
360-577-7222

www.caslab.com

Press Images and Links:

Jeff Christian, Kelso Laboratory Director, discusses the GC/MS/MS instrument with Congressman Baird, Paul Brachvogel, Kelso City Manager, and Todd McDaniel, Kelso City Council.

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