Click on the icons below to learn more about the History and Growth of Pace®.
1978 - 1993: The Environmental Awakening
- 1978 – Pace is founded by Steve Vanderboom and Bill O’Connor.
- 1982 – Pace® grows into a new laboratory in Golden Valley, MN.
- 1986 – Growth continues, Pace® is up to 50 employees and expanded their lab.
- 1989 – Changed name to Pace, Inc.
- 1993 - Environmental Lab 2000 Alliance with Hewlett Packard sparks Pace® Culture of Innovation
1994 - 1995: Integrity and Values
- 1994 – Merger of Pace®, ETC and Coast-to-Coast into a new company: Pace Incorporated.
- 1995 – Ribbon-cutting on new Petaluma, CA laboratory.
- 1995 – Incorporated with Rod Burwell to become Pace Analytical Services, Inc.
1997 - 2006: Continuous improvement and Employee Development
- 1997 – Built new corporate office and laboratory in Minneapolis.
- 1998 – Entered Dioxin business with acquisition of Maxim.
- 1999 – Entered the dotcom business with acquisition of labseek.com
- 2001 – Opened an aquatic toxicity lab in Frontenac, KS.
- 2001 – Acquired a new lab in San Juan, Puerto Rico
- 2002 – Implemented the 3P Continuous Improvement Program to ensure Pace® continued to lead in best practices and consistent performance.
- 2003 – Purchased a lab in San German, Puerto Rico
- 2006 – Launched PacePort, a 24/7 online data management system
- 2006 – Pace Analytical Life Sciences is incorporated
2007 - 2013: Diversification
- 2007 – Introduced Pace Yourself, a first-in-industry learning management system for efficient, ongoing training.
- 2007 – Acquisition of P3 Scientific Lab in Oakdale, MN
- 2009 – Launched Rapid Response for 24/7 emergency analytical support.
- 2011 – Added new corporate and LabOps facilities at corporate headquarters
- 2012 – Purchased current Oakdale, MN Life Sciences building.
- 2013 – Entered energy services: forensics market.
2016 - 2019: Leadership
- 2016 – Gained new partner, Aurora Capital Group of Los Angeles, CA.
- 2017 – Tennessee-based ESC Lab Services becomes a subsidiary of Pace®
- 2017 – Wolfe Laboratories in Boston becomes a Pace® subsidiary.
- 2018 – Acquired REIC Laboratories in Beaver, WV.
- 2018 – Celebrated 40 years of Pace®
- 2019 – Acquired Inter-Mountain Labs, Inc. (IML)
- 2019 – Acquired Shealy Environmental Services, Inc.
2019 - Today: Looking to the Future
- 2020 – Acquired Aerobiology Laboratory Associates, Inc.
- 2020 – Acquired Bio-Concept Laboratories, Inc.
- 2020 – Acquired Con-Test® Analytical Laboratory
- 2021 – Acquired Drug Delivery Experts
- 2021 – Acquired BC Laboratories, Inc.
- 2021 – Acquired Velesco Pharma
- 2021 – Acquired ProScience Analytical Services
- 2021 – Acquired Special Pathogens Laboratory
- 2021 – Acquired Basic Laboratory, Inc.
- 2021 – Acquired PDC Laboratories, LLC
- 2022 – Acquired EnviroTest Laboratories, Inc.
- 2022 – Acquired New Jersey Analytical Laboratories
- 2022 – Acquired Certified National Analytics Lab
- 2022 – Acquired Hydro Technologies, LLC
- 2022 – Acquired OCL Analytical Services, LLC
- 2022 – Acquired Meridian BioGroup, LLC
- 2022 – Acquired Aqua Pro-Tech Laboratory (APL)
- 2022 – Acquired Fairway Laboratories, Inc.
- 2022 – Steve Vanderboom receives the Lewis E. Harris Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2023 - Acquired Alpha Analytical
- 2024 - Acquired New Jersey Laboratory from Curia
- 2024 - Acquired Environmental Service Laboratories, Inc. (ESL)
- 2024 - Acquired Agra Environmental and Laboratory Services
- 2024 - Acquired Prestige EnviroMicrobiology
- 2024 - Acquired Catalent Center of Excellence Laboratory for Small Molecule Analytical Services in North Carolina
Looking Towards the Future of Pace®
At Pace®, we come to work each day with the same goal: to leave the world a little cleaner, safer, and better than we found it. We focus on innovation and growth so that we can reach this goal efficiently and ethically while producing value for our clients.
History and growth are important, and Pace® will move forward with the same commitment that inspired us to open our doors four decades ago, to protect our environment and improve our health. As we grow, the challenges get bigger, the regulations more complicated, the results more important than ever. But we invest in our people and technology. Our commitment to continuous improvement and innovation means we’re ready for everything that lies ahead.