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Founded in 1963, by Donald
G. Saltman, Suburban Water Testing Laboratories, Inc., was first
certified by the Pennsylvania Department of Health when pure drinking
water was more abundant, and water testing laboratories were rare.
During the early 1960's, few people examined their water quality
unless it tasted bad, smelled funny, or made them ill. Suburban
Water Testing Labs began as an extension of Saltman's water treatment
company, Suburban Water Technology. The water quality testing primarily
consisted of mineral analysis and coliform bacteria detection, which
was then simply termed a "potability test."
In 1974, Richard (Rick) C. Stump, II joined the company as a water
treatment technician. As the business grew, Stump recognized an
overwhelming need for reliable water testing services for individuals
who owned private water supplies. Once thought to be the purest
source available, private water supplies began to be questioned.
As public awareness increased, homeowners began to realize that
in order for their water to be safe to drink, not only would it
have to be free from bacterial contaminants, but also from potentially
harmful chemicals.
During the 1970's, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) began
to adopt and enforce new testing standards for public water systems.
In response to the increased regulations, various water laboratories
began to emerge, but few, if any, were interested in solving the
problems of private water supplies.
In 1978, Rick was promoted to Laboratory Director, and Suburban
Water Testing Labs became an EPA approved facility. Over the next
15 years, the laboratory experienced tremendous growth and an expansion
of services. In 1994, Rick purchased the company and became entirely
independent from the water treatment business focusing solely on
laboratory analysis.
In 2001, Richard (Rich) C. Stump, III joined the company as a full
time Laboratory Analyst after graduating from Kutztown University
with a B.S. in Chemistry. During the next few years, Suburban Water
Testing Labs enhanced their services to include more Non-potable
and Solid and Chemical Materials testing.
In 2002, Rich was promoted to Laboratory Director. During this time,
Suburban Water Testing shifted it's focus of growth strategy. The
laboratory began to grow in more markets such as municipal, industrial
and other large environmental testing clients.
In order to ensure the highest quality of service to every client, the Client Services Team was formed and is led by Sara Kuzma. Sara joined the company in 2005 and has been responsible for much of the company's growth over the last several years. Sara currently serves as Client Services Director and leads the team of extremely dedicated professionals including Project Managers as well as highly trained Field Technicians.
The quality of the laboratory data is ensured by the Lab's Quality Assurance Manager, Rebecca Zettlemoyer. Rebecca joined the company in 2003 and has led the change from being a PADEP certified lab for a few drinking water parameters to being accredited in accordance with NELAC (National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Conference) for Potable Water, Non-Potable Water and Solid and Chemical materials. This NELAC Accreditation assures the utmost defensibility of data quality.
In order to position itself in a competitive industry, Suburban Water Testing Labs strives to exceed client expectations by providing first class service at every level. This is all driven by a fantastic staff that takes pride in delivering exceptional customer service each and every day.
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