It all started in 1978
Over 40 years ago, visionaries Steve Vanderboom and Bill O’Connor founded Pace® in a small, combined lab and office space in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
At that time, the world was changing. New laws and regulations were being introduced to protect our health and environment. In this emerging regulatory landscape, Pace® saw an opportunity to offer accurate, high quality scientific testing services to help customers ensure compliance. Demand for Pace® services was strong then and has not waned.
Through the years, Pace® has invested in research and development, technology, and facilities to enter new markets and support customers as they deal with complex and ever-changing regulatory requirements. Today, Pace® is proud to be a leader in an industry that works to make our world safer and healthier.
Pace® Promise: We honor our commitments, so you can honor yours.
The growth and success of Pace® has been enabled by its people and their commitment to the customer. The Pace® Promise has been the catalyst for building deep, long-standing relationships with customers to better understand their business and anticipate their needs. Everyday Pace® people are advancing science by providing the highest quality scientific services in the industry, supported by ethical standards, transparency, and personalized support.
Pace® History
- 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.
- 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 – 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 – 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 – 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.
- 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
Looking Towards the Future of Pace®
At Pace®, we all come to work each day with the same goal: to leave the world a little cleaner, safer, better than we found it. It’s with this eye to the future that we make decisions today. We focus on innovation and growth so that we can reach this goal efficiently and ethically all while producing value for our clients.
We 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.